Vitamin D and intraocular pressure – results from a case –control and an intervention study

Abstract

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To study the associations between serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, vitamin D administration and intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods: The design of the study included a nested case-control study and a randomized controlled intervention trial. In the first part, healthy Caucasians with high or low serum 25(OH)D levels were recruited from a populationbased study. IOP of the right eye was measured by the use of a rebound tonometer. In the second part, those with low serum 25(OH)D levels were randomized to receive either capsules of vitamin D 3 20 000 IU twice per week or placebo for 6 months before IOP was measured again. Results: Intraocular pressure in the 87 participants with low serum 25(OH)D levels (mean 40.1 ± 12.9 nm) did not differ from IOP in the 42 participants with high serum 25(OH)D levels (mean 85.1 ± 14.0 nm) (15.9 ± 3.3 mmHg versus 15.6 ± 3.1 mmHg, p = 0.56, independent t-test). After intervention, IOP decreased by )0.8 ± 2.1 mmHg (p = 0.017, paired t-test) in the vitamin D group (n = 39) and )0.8 ± 2.5 mmHg (p = 0.059) in the placebo group (n = 39), but the change was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.92, independent t-test). Conclusion: This study in healthy participants revealed no associations between serum 25(OH)D levels and IOP, and administration of vitamin D 3 to participants with low levels of 25(OH)D did not affect IOP. These results do not support a role of vitamin D in the regulation of IOP.

Serum vitamin D status is associated with the presence but not the severity of primary open angle glaucoma

“…In an animal study, vitamin D eye drops in nonhuman-primates resulted in a reduction of intraocular pressure by 20%, mainly by increasing the uveoscleral outflow [8]. On the opposite, a randomized controlled intervention trial involving humans found no IOP reduction after high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation (20,000 IU twice per week) during 6 months [20]. In our study, POAG cases were exhibiting lower IOP compared to controls (Table 1), probably due to appropriate POAG treatments (the vitamin D supplementation being similar in both groups).…”

“…(i) Vitamin D may play a role in the regulation of the intraocular pressure [20]. In an animal study, vitamin D eye drops in nonhuman-primates resulted in a reduction of intraocular pressure by 20%, mainly by increasing the uveoscleral outflow [8].…”

25-Hydroxyvitamin D and matrix metalloproteinases-2, -9 level in patients with primary open angle glaucoma and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma/syndrome

“…В последние годы появились единичные подтверждения участия дефицита витамина D в развитии как первичной открыто-угольной глаукомы (ПОУГ), так и псевдоэксфо-лиативного синдрома (ПЭС) [16,24,25]. Возмож-но, это связано с наличием иммуносупрессивной активности витамина D, а также с его участием в регуляции процессов клеточной пролиферации, дифференцировки и апоптоза, в том числе в глаз-ной нейроглии [8,14,19].…”

Vitamin D in Dry Eye and Myopia

“…A study of the impact of vitamin D supplements on the eye's intraocular pressure (IOP) reported no differences before and after treatment (Krefting et al, 2013). Other key studies discussing the association between vitamin D and ocular health in both humans and animal models are summarised in Table 2-1 and 2-2.…”

“…There is one reported human study on the impact of vitamin D supplements on the eye's IOP, stating that vitamin D had no significant effects (Krefting et al, 2013).…”