Eye disorders linked to statin use

Eye disorders related to statins are rare, occurring in about 0.1 percent of patients. A new study led by F.W. Fraunfelder, MD, of the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, is the first to systematically report on the association of eye disorders with statin use. The study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of Ophthalmology. Dr. Fraunfelder's group analyzed statin-associated reports of double vision (diplopia), drooping of the upper eyelid (ptosis), and loss of full range of motion of the eyes (ophthalmoplegia) in the databases of the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Drug Administration. Since statins were known to cause skeletal muscle disorders in some patients, a similar affect was plausible in the eye muscles. The average statin dose of patients who exhibited one or more eye disorder was within ranges recommended by drug manufacturers, and the average time from beginning of therapy to developing an adverse drug reaction (ADR) was 8.3 months.