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Statins and Cataracts—a Visual Insight

  • Statin Drugs (BS Wiggins, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Cataract is the leading cause of visual impairment, other than uncorrected refractive errors, and the number one cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Common adverse events of statins include statin-related muscle toxicity, elevation of transaminases, diabetes, and possible association with cancer. Publications on the relationship of cataract to statins have reported inconsistent findings. A meta-analysis indicated a 19 % decrease in cataract among statin users. The pleiotropic effects of statins including effects on inflammation and oxidation may mediate a decrease in the rate of cataract formation. On the other hand, bidirectional effects of statins on oxidation and inhibition of appropriate lens epithelial cell development may promote cataractogenesis. Younger age and longer duration of statin therapy was associated with greater benefit while a benefit was not observed among older persons. A definitive way to settle the issue of the relationship of statins to cataract is to perform a randomized clinical trial or include cataract as an end point in epidemiologic studies. An increased risk of cataract may be balanced by the marked benefits of statins for those at high risk for cardiovascular events, while a decreased risk may help increase adherence to statin therapy.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Kostis has served on the speakers’ bureau for Merck and as a consultant to Sanofi both related to the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Ms. Dobrzynski has nothing to disclose.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Institute, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 125 Paterson Street, CAB-5200, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Jeanne M. Dobrzynski & John B. Kostis

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  1. Jeanne M. Dobrzynski
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  2. John B. Kostis
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Correspondence to John B. Kostis.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Statin Drugs

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Dobrzynski, J.M., Kostis, J.B. Statins and Cataracts—a Visual Insight. Curr Atheroscler Rep 17, 477 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-014-0477-2

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