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Br J Ophthalmol 1998;82:538-542 doi:10.1136/bjo.82.5.538
  • Original Article
    • Clinical science

Oral contraception and eye disease: findings in two large cohort studies

  1. M P Vesseya,
  2. P Hannafordb,
  3. J Manta,
  4. R Paintera,
  5. P Frithc,
  6. D Chappeld
  1. aDepartment of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LF, bDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, Foresterhill Health Centre, Aberdeen AB25 2AY, cOxford Eye Hospital, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, dDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, The Medical School, Newcastle on Tyne NE2 4HH
  1. Professor M P Vessey.
  • Accepted 27 November 1997

Abstract

AIM To investigate the relation between oral contraceptive use and certain eye diseases.

METHODS Abstraction of the relevant data from the two large British cohort studies of the effects of oral contraception, the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) Oral Contraception Study and the Oxford-Family Planning Association (Oxford-FPA) Contraceptive Study. Both cohort studies commenced in 1968 and were organised on a national basis. Between them they have accumulated over 850 000 person years of observation involving 63 000 women.

RESULTS The conditions considered in the analysis were conjunctivitis, keratitis, iritis, lacrimal disease, strabismus, cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment, and retinal vascular lesions. With the exception of retinal vascular lesions, there was no consistent evidence of important increases in risk of eye diseases in users of oral contraception. There was about a twofold increase in the risk of retinal vascular lesions in recent pill users in both studies (statistically significant only in the RCGP study). The increase was not limited to any specific type of lesion and may well reflect diagnostic bias.

CONCLUSION Oral contraceptive use does not appear to increase the risk of eye disease, with the possible exception of retinal vascular lesions.

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