The use of statins (hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors) has been associated with a lower risk of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG); however, results have been conflicting, and little is known about the association between high cholesterol levels and POAG. OBJECTIVE To assess the association of elevated cholesterol levels and statin use with incident POAG. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study used data collected biennially from participants aged 40 years or older who were free of glaucoma and reported eye examinations, within 3 population-based cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study (N = 50 710; followed up from 2000 to 2014), the Nurses' Health Study 2 (N = 62 992; 1999-2015), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (N = 23 081; 2000-2014). Incident cases of POAG were confirmed by medical record review. The analyses were performed in January and November 2019. EXPOSURES Biennially updated self-reported information on elevated cholesterol level status, serum cholesterol levels, and duration of statin use. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models on pooled data, with stratification by cohort. RESULTS Among the 136 783 participants in the 3 cohorts (113 702 women and 23 081 men), 887 incident cases of POAG were identified. A 20-mg/dL increase in total serum cholesterol was not associated with risk of POAG (RR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.98-1.07]; P = .32). Any self-reported history of elevated cholesterol was not associated with risk of POAG (RR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.94-1.31]). A history of any statin use was not associated with risk of POAG (RR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.80-1.10]). Use of statins for 5 or more years vs never use of statins was not associated with risk of POAG (RR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.75-1.15]; P = .49 for linear trend). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among adults aged 40 years or older, higher self-reported total serum cholesterol levels and statin use compared with never use of statins were not associated with risk of POAG.

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate nailfold microvascular morphology in exfoliation syndrome with or without glaucoma (XFS/XFG) compared with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and control subjects using nailfold capillary videomicroscopy. Patients and methods We used a JH-1004 capillaroscope to perform nailfold capillary videomicroscopy on the fourth and fifth digit of the non-dominant hand. We enrolled 56 XFS/XFG patients, 87 POAG patients, and 75 control subjects. Masked observers graded the videos for hemorrhages, avascular zones ≥ 200 microns (μm), and degree of microvascular tortuosity on a four-point subjective scale. Multivariable odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals and P-for trends for assessing the relation between morphological changes and POAG or XFS/XFG were obtained from logistic regression analyses. We also assessed this relation with XFS/XFG compared with POAG in multivariable models. Results After adjusting for multiple covariates, nailfold hemorrhages, avascular zones ≥ 200 μm, and higher degree of vascular tortuosity were more common in XFS/XFG vs controls (P-for trend ≤ 0.0001) and in POAG vs controls (P-for trend ≤ 0.01). For each 100 capillaries, the number of hemorrhages was similar (P-for trend = 0.91) between XFS/XFG and POAG patients; however, there were more avascular zones per 100 capillaries with borderline significance (P-for trend = 0.04) in the XFS/XFG group. XFS/XFG patients had more tortuosity than POAG patients; specifically, having a tortuosity score ≥ 1.5 was associated with a 4.4-fold increased odds of XFS/XFG (95% confidence interval: 1.5-13.3) relative to a tortuosity score o1.0 (P-for trend = 0.005). Conclusion A high degree of nailfold capillary tortuosity is a distinct non-ocular feature associated with XFS/XFG compared with either POAG or controls.

IMPORTANCE Genetic variants associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are known to influence disease risk. However, the clinical effect of associated variants individually or in aggregate is not known. Genetic risk scores (GRS) examine the cumulative genetic load by combining individual genetic variants into a single measure, which is assumed to have a larger effect and increased power to detect relevant disease-related associations. OBJECTIVE To investigate if a GRS that comprised 12 POAG genetic risk variants is associated with age at disease diagnosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study included individuals with POAG and controls from the Glaucoma Genes and Environment (GLAUGEN) study and the National Eye Institute Glaucoma Human Genetics Collaboration (NEIGHBOR) study. A GRS was formulated using 12 variants known to be associated with POAG, and the alleles associated with increasing risk of POAG were aligned in the case-control sets. In case-only analyses, the association of the GRS with age at diagnosis was analyzed as an estimate of disease onset. Results from cohort-specific analyses were combined with meta-analysis. Data collection started in August 2012 for the NEIGHBOR cohort and in July 2008 for the GLAUGEN cohort and were analyzed starting in March 2018. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Association of a 12 single-nucleotide polymorphism POAG GRS with age at diagnosis in individuals with POAG using linear regression. RESULTS The GLAUGEN study included 976 individuals with POAG and 1140 controls. The NEIGHBOR study included 2132 individuals with POAG and 2290 controls. For individuals with POAG, the mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 63.6 (9.8) years in the GLAUGEN cohort and 66.0 (13.7) years in the NEIGHBOR cohort. For controls, the mean (SD) age at enrollment was 65.5 (9.2) years in the GLAUGEN cohort and 68.9 (11.4) years in the NEIGHBOR cohort. All study participants were European white. The GRS was strongly associated with POAG risk in case-control analysis (odds ratio per 1-point increase in score = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.21-1.27; P = 3.4 × 10 −66). In case-only analyses, each higher GRS unit was associated with a 0.36-year earlier age at diagnosis (β = −0.36; 95% CI, −0.56 to −0.16; P = 4.0 × 10 −4). Individuals in the top 5% of the GRS had a mean (SD) age at diagnosis of 5.2 (12.8) years earlier than those in the bottom 5% GRS (61.4 [12.7] vs 66.6 [12.9] years; P = 5.0 × 10 −4). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A higher dose of POAG risk alleles was associated with an earlier age at glaucoma diagnosis. On average, individuals with POAG with the highest GRS had 5.2-year earlier age at diagnosis of disease. These results suggest that a GRS that comprised genetic variants associated with POAG could help identify patients with risk of earlier disease onset impacting screening and therapeutic strategies.