Brittle bone drugs ‘raise the risk of eye disease’
WOMEN taking drugs to help prevent osteoporosis may have a higher risk of serious eye disease, researchers warn.
The problem affects people taking a class of drug called bisphosphonates for the first time, rather than longterm users.
Around 1.4 million British women are eligible for treatment with oral bisphosphonates such as Fosamax, also known as alendronate, because of osteoporosis. However, a study says the risk of two inflammatory eye disorders, uveitis and scleritis, is increased by around 45 per cent for first-time users of the drugs.
In rare cases sufferers may develop blindness, although prompt medical treatment reverses the symptoms.
Although the total number of people suffering the side effect is low, the report tells doctors and patients to be aware of warning signs such as pain, redness and blurred vision in one or both eyes.
The drugs are the most common form of medication taken long-term by thousands of women in a bid to prevent thinning bones. They work by disrupting and slowing down normal bone turnover, but the researchers speculate that they can cause a surge in inflammatory agents that may trigger eye disease.
Uveitis is inflammation of the middle layer of the eye while scleritis affects the outer wall of the eye.
The study, from the Canadian Medical Association Journal, included 934,147 people who had visited an ophthalmologist between 2000 and 2007.
Dr Mahyar Etminan, of the University of British Columbia, said: ‘Our study highlights the need for clinicians to inform patients about the signs and symptoms of scleritis and uveitis.’
However, drug-induced inflammatory eye disease is usually reversible with prompt treatment and patients are advised to stop taking the drugs.
Dr Claire Bowring, medical policy manager of the National Osteoporosis Society, said: ‘Bisphosphonates are a safe and effective osteoporosis treatment but if patients have an existing inflammatory eye problem or develop symptoms they should discuss this with their doctor.’