While statins previously have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease even in patients without high cholesterol, the effect of statins on blood circulation in the retina had not been studied previously.
The researchers randomly assigned 12 healthy men (average age 21 years) to receive either a 20-milligram dose of simvastatin or an identical placebo each morning for seven days. They measured blood flow in the men's retinal arteries and veins at the beginning of the study, 90 minutes after administering the drug the first day and at the end of seven days. They also assessed the participants' blood intraocular pressure, or the pressure within the eyeball.
Among the patients taking statins, intraocular pressure was reduced 90 minutes after taking the medication and at the seven-day mark. Blood velocity (speed) and blood flow were significantly increased in patients who had taken statins for seven days, although the size of the blood vessels did not change.
These findings may have implications for several eye diseases, the authors reported. Diabetic retinopathy, which occurs when poorly controlled diabetes damages the eyes and which can lead to blindness, recently was linked to reduced blood flow in the eye.
"The increased retinal blood flow associated with treatment with simvastatin may be a potential therapy for diabetic retinopathy," the authors concluded.
