Important eye health issues examined in Ophthalmology journal

San Francisco-Three studies on eye health examine the role of antioxidant supplements, the relationship of visual acuity and mortality, and the causes of glaucoma in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

From the Women's Health Study (WHS) it was determined that women who took vitamin E supplements had rates of cataract development comparable with women who did not take such supplements. The 39,876 professional women aged 45 or more took 600 IU of vitamin E (every other day) and 100 mg of aspirin (every day) in this 10-year randomized, controlled study.

A study in an Asian population linked good eyesight to living longer. According to the study, led by Tien Yin Wong, MD, PhD, 10% of the 1,232 Chinese people living in Singapore died and the death rate was three times higher for people with 20/40 vision.

Evidence has been found to support the theory that low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure may be a significant contributor to optic nerve damage in glaucoma. Results showed that between 1996 and 2007, 28 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who had CSF samples taken by lumbar punctures had significantly lower pressure than controls.