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The following is a summary of “Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association between Statin Use and the Risk of Ocular Hypertension and Open-Angle Glaucoma,” published in the April 2025 issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology by Elhusseiny et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the relationship between statin use and the risk of ocular hypertension (OHT) and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in individuals with hyperlipidemia across different racial and ethnic subgroups.  

They utilized the anonymized TriNetX United States Collaborative Network database to analyze individuals aged ≥40 years with hyperlipidemia who had received at least 4 statin prescriptions. Participants were categorized into 4 cohorts: non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic African Americans, non-Hispanic Asians, and Hispanics. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied separately for each group to reduce confounding, accounting for demographic, clinical, laboratory, medication, and socioeconomic factors. The primary outcomes, OHT and OAG were assessed at 1- and 5-years post-index date using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models.  

The results showed that 3,09,255 individuals were analyzed. After PSM, statin use significantly lowered the risk of OHT and OAG in non-Hispanic Whites at 1 and 5 years (P <0.0001). The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for OHT was 0.5 (95% CI: 0.4-0.6) at 1 year and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) at 5 years, while the aHR for OAG was 0.7 (95% CI: 0.6-0.7) at 1 year and 0.6 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) at 5 years. In non-Hispanic African Americans, statin use was linked to reduced OAG risk at both time points (P <0.0001) with an aHR of 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6-0.9) at 1 year and 0.6 (95% CI: 0.5-0.7) at 5 years but showed no significant effect on OHT risk. In non-Hispanic Asians, statin use did not significantly reduce OHT or OAG risk at 1 year; however, a reduction in OAG risk was observed by 5 years (aHR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5-0.9, P =0.007). Similarly, in Hispanics, statin use showed no effect on OHT or OAG risk at 1 year but was associated with a lower OAG risk at 5 years (aHR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.8, P =0.0003).  

Investigators concluded that statin use was related to a decreased risk of OAG and/or OHT across most racial and ethnic groups, although the timing and extent of this effect varied. 

Source: ajo.com/article/S0002-9394(25)00170-9/abstract