Study links cardiovascular mortality to OAG treatment and ocular hypertension

This research, which is part of the Barbados Eye Studies, found that cardiovascular mortality in a black population was significantly higher in those treated with timolol maleate for open-angle glaucoma (OAG). The study's researchers also found that cardiovascular mortality tended to increase in those who were previously diagnosed with and treated for OAG or ocular hypertension.

This population-based cohort study included a random sample of 4,092 black citizens of Barbados with whom the researchers followed up for nine years. The subjects were tested on a variety of ocular and other health measurements, such as blood pressure; their medical history, including previously diagnosed diabetes and cardiac disease, was taken; and any medications they used were noted.

The link found between timolol maleate treatment for OAG and increased mortality is similar to previous results in a white population and should be studied further in randomized, clinical trials, the authors concluded.