Statins May Prevent Cataracts

"It would be great news for so many patients if cataracts could be prevented with the statins used for managing cholesterol and lipid problems", stated Fairfield County Cataract Surgeon Leslie Doctor, M.D. of Doctor & Associaates in Connecticut. According to researchers publishing their study in the February 2012 publication American Journal of Ophthalmology, the long term use of statins may have a protective effect against Cataracts, especially for younger patients aged 50 to 64 years. This might be due to the antioxidant properties. Patients taking Lipitor (Atorvastin), Vytorin (Ezetimibe-Simvastatin), Mevacor (Lovastatin), Pravchol (Pravastatin) or Zocor (Simvastatin) for at least 5 years had a protective effect against cataract surgery among patients aged 50 to 64 years but not among patients older than 64 years. In both age groups, shorter-term use of less than 5 years was linked to an increased risk of Cataracts.

"As we do with all new research, we will watch this carefully-it could be a great method of possibly helping patients prevent cataracts if it is found to be true over the long term", commented New Jersey Cataract Surgeon Joel Confino, M.D. of The Eye Care & Surgery Center in Westfield, NJ.