This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
IOP not affected by long-term hormone exposure, study finds
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Hormone replacement therapy and lifetime estrogen and progesterone exposure do not seem to affect IOP or the risk for increased IOP, according to a study.
Yoram Abramov, MD, and colleagues in Jerusalem performed the cross-sectional study to assess the effect of hormone replacement therapy on IOP. The study included 107 women between 60 and 80 years of age who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and 107 women in the same age range who had not received HRT as controls. All subjects underwent IOP assessment and fundus photography to determine cup-to-disc ratios. They also completed questionnaires about family and personal glaucoma history, HRT use, lifetime estrogen and progesterone exposure and cardiovascular risk factors. The main outcome measures were IOP, the prevalence of increased IOP and cup-to-disc ratios.
Both groups had a mean IOP of 15.3 mm Hg. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in mean vertical or horizontal cup-to-disc ratio, prevalence of increased IOP, prevalence of increased cup-to-disc ratios, or history of glaucoma.
Lifetime estrogen and progesterone exposure, including pregnancies and deliveries, number of menstruation years and the use of oral contraceptives did not significantly affect the risk for increased IOP.
The researchers said a personal history of ischemic heart disease was the only risk factor associated with increased IOP.
The study is published in the August issue of Journal of Glaucoma.