An aspirin a day linked to wet AMD

A recent European study reveals that seniors who are on a daily aspirin regimen are twice as likely to develop wet macular degeneration compared to people who never take aspirin. Researchers emphasize that the data doesn't show that vision loss is caused by aspirin but that it does cause concern that aspirin might aggravate the eye disorder. Researchers collected personal information about health and lifestyle from almost 4,700 people over the age of 65. What they found is that almost four of every 100 daily aspirin users had wet macular degeneration. Only two out of every 100 people who took aspirin less frequently had wet macular degeneration. Larger studies that follow people over a period of time and document their aspirin use and vision will help to determine the role that aspirin plays in macular degeneration. Meanwhile, researchers stress that it's a good idea to caution people that aspirin might exacerbate macular degeneration, but that the benefits of taking the aspirin outweigh any risks to their vision. In addition, the association may not be causal. People with high cholesterol and heart disease, which is associated with macular degeneration, are the very same people who have been instructed by their doctors to take aspirin.*