Regular aspirin use is associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

This study was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine 2013 Feb 25;173(4):258-64

Study title and authors:
The association of aspirin use with age-related macular degeneration.

Liew G, Mitchell P, Wong TY, Rochtchina E, Wang JJ.
Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23337937

Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either dry (non-neovascular) or wet (neovascular). Neovascular refers to growth of new blood vessels in an area, such as the macula, where they are not supposed to be. Dry age-related macular degeneration is an early stage of the disease and may result from the aging and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.

The objective of the study was to determine whether regular aspirin use is associated with a higher risk for developing age-related macular degeneration. The study included 2,389 participants who were followed for 15 years.

The study found:
(a) Aspirin use was not associated with the incidence of dry age-related macular degeneration.
(b) Regular aspirin users had a 146% higher risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration.
(c) The higher the aspirin dose, the higher the risk of developing the disease.

Regular aspirin use is associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.