Contraceptive Pills May Lead to Blindness, Study Confirms

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Recent research warns women that taking contraceptive pills may double their risk of developing glaucoma, The Telegraph reports. Women who have been taking the pill long term are advised to have their eyes checked and screened consistently.

The study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology featured over 3,000 women respondents aged 40 years old and above. The women were quizzed regarding their reproductive history and were subjected to eye examinations. The result was alarming: women who had maintained the intake of oral contraceptives for three years or more had twice the risk to be diagnosed with glaucoma, which may eventually lead to blindness.   

Metro reports that previous research had pointed to Estrogen, the primary ingredient in most contraceptives, to cause the development of the ocular disorder. Glaucoma develops from the build-up of fluid pressure in the eye, which leads to irreversible injury to the eye. There is no known cure for the disease.  

Researchers for the study had advised gynecologists and eye specialists to consider the findings of the study, as it could greatly help patients to prevent the onset of the ocular disorder in their system. Leading scientist for the study Prof. Shan Lin warns that, "Women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years should be screened for glaucoma and followed closely by an ophthalmologist, especially if they have any other existing risk factors," reports the Mirror.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), however, disagrees with the study's findings, saying that taking the pill has so many benefits that it "far outweighed" the danger of developing glaucoma. The MHRA even recommends for women to continue taking the pill for effective birth control.

In the U.K., half a million people are said to be affected by glaucoma, and one in ten people who contract the ocular disorder go completely blind. Diabetes, family history, short-sightedness and Black-African genes are considered to be risk factors in developing the disease.

There are four main types of glaucoma, and the most common among these, the slow-developing chronic open-angled glaucoma, is said to affect approximately 480,000 people in England alone, reports the Mirror.