Caffeine and Glaucoma

 

A recent study published in the journal Ophthalmology concluded that if you already have a genetic predisposition to developing glaucoma that consuming more than 320mg of caffeine per day (about the amount in three cups of regular coffee) carries a nearly 4-fold increase in the risk of developing the eye disease (and leading cause of blindness in older adults).

“We previously published work suggesting that high caffeine intake increased the risk of the high-tension open angle glaucoma among people with a family history of disease.  In this study we show that an adverse relation between high caffeine intake and glaucoma was evident only among those with the highest genetic risk score for elevated eye pressure,” says lead/corresponding author Louis R. Pasquale, MD, FARVO, Deputy Chair for Ophthalmology Research for the Mount Sinai Health System.

Coffee is a beverage with several proven health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers and Alzheimer's disease. These benefits are not associated with the caffeine content however, so switching to decaf can make sense for most people.