The use of bisphosphonates, particularly risedronate, in patients with osteoporosis is linked to a higher risk for acute angle closure but not open-angle glaucoma.
"The results from our study will have important public health implications as millions of patients around the world use bisphosphonates for osteoporosis treatment," the authors of the study wrote. "Physicians prescribing bisphosphonates should discuss the risk of AAC [acute angle closure] with their patients when reviewing the side effect profile and also inquire on the use of bisphosphonates when evaluating patients with AAC," they added.
The study was led by Bonnie He, of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was published online on December 27, 2024, in Eye.
The limitations of the study included lack of access to diagnostic information, such as intraocular pressure or visual field tests, which could have affected the assessment of glaucoma severity. The study also lacked power to assess different dosages of bisphosphonates and faced uncontrollable confounders, such as body mass index and race. The general practice database used may not have coded predisposing factors, such as hyperopia and myopia. The data were collected from a sample of the population, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to a broader population.
The study was supported by the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada Project Grant. The authors declared no competing interests.