Aspirin use in advanced uncontrolled glaucoma

Purpose: To evaluate if aspirin use affects progression of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: A retrospective review of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma was performed. Incidence of aspirin use was noted by a one-time self-reporting survey. Controls were medically stable patients diagnosed with POAG. The primary outcome measure studied was a comparison of percentages of aspirin use in patients who have and have not undergone glaucoma filtering surgery (trabeculectomy). Results: Forty-one percent (26/64) of the patients in the trabeculectomy group and 23% (17/74) of controls were using aspirin. Patients undergoing trabeculectomy were twice as likely to take aspirin (O.R., 2.29; 95% C.I., 1.10-4.79). Subgroup analyses demonstrated increased aspirin use in those operative patients who are current or former smokers (O.R., 3.71; 95% C.I., 1.10-12.56), have systemic hypertension (O.R., 3.30; 95% C.I., 1.02-22.58), or have joint disease (O.R., 4.60; 95% C.I., 1.34-15.82). Conclusion: A higher concurrence of aspirin use was observed in patients with POAG who required surgical management compared with patients having relatively medically stable glaucoma. This may be secondary to a higher rate of glaucoma surgery performed on patients with greater systemic illnesses, more of whom use aspirin.