Increased risk of exfoliation glaucoma

Coffee lovers everywhere hold on to your coffee cups! Researchers have discovered a link between excessive coffee drinking and exfoliation glaucoma. The study which is published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science was conducted by researchers at Harvard and reveals that adults who drank three or more cups of coffee a day were 34 percent more likely to develop pseudoexfoliation glaucoma compared to those who didn't drink coffee. Among women who had a family history of the condition, the risk rose to 66 percent. Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma can lead to loss of vision or even blindness. The study involved analyzing data from almost 79,000 women and 42,000 men. Researchers evaluated men and women aged 40 and over who came into the study without glaucoma and they examined the health questionnaires they completed as well. What researchers saw was a significant rise in cases of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma among coffee drinkers who consumed three or more cups a day. The study did not reveal any link between drinking other caffeinated beverages such as soda or tea. Researchers note that additional study is needed before any recommendations would be made regarding the consumption of caffeinated coffee.*