ReviewPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)2023
The Effect of Statins on Ocular Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Review in Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Statins and Fibrates in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Contemporary Clinical Narrative Review (2020-2025).Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Natural products as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) for the management of non-communicable diseases.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Understanding the link between lipid and ocular disorders for effective therapy.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Safety Profile of Statins: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses.European cardiology · 2026Review
- Microvascular Health as a Key Determinant of Organismal Aging.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- The Chemical Stability Characterization and Kinetics of Statins in Aqueous Cyclodextrin Ocular Preparations: A Formulation Perspective.Pharmaceutics · 2025Article
- What do You Need to Know after Diabetes and before Diabetic Retinopathy?Aging and disease · 2025Review
- Retinal Microangiopathy as a Marker of Coronary Atherosclerotic Heart Disease.International journal of general medicine · 2025Review
- Visual Disturbances Associated With Statins: A Case Report and Literature Review.Clinical medicine insights. Case reports · 2025Article
- The role of cholesterol crystals and ocular crystal emboli in retinal pathology.American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2024Article
- Bottlenecks in the Investigation of Retinal Sterol Homeostasis.Biomolecules · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimStatins have been established in the market not only due to their ability to lower plasma cholesterol levels but also due to their pleiotropic effects. In the literature, there is a controversy regarding the role of statins in ophthalmology. We aimed to systematically address the possible effect of statin therapy on ocular diseases and to identify if there is a beneficial relationship.
methodsWe searched PubMed and Cochrane Library databases up to 31 December 2022 for studies evaluating the effect of statins on ocular diseases. We included all relevant Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) that have been conducted in the adult population. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022364328.
resultsNineteen RCTs were finally considered eligible for this systematic review, with a total of 28,940 participants. Ten studies investigated the role of simvastatin, suggesting a lack of cataractogenic effect and a possible protective role in cataract formation, retinal vascular diseases, and especially diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular disease progression, and non-infectious uveitis. Four studies investigated lovastatin, showing no cataractogenic effect. Three studies examined atorvastatin, revealing conflicting results regarding diabetic retinopathy. Two studies examined rosuvastatin, indicating a possibly harmful effect on lenses and a significant protective effect on retinal microvasculature.
conclusionsBased on our findings, we believe that statins have no cataractogenic effect. There are indications that statins may have a protective role against cataract formation, AMD, diabetic retinopathy progression, and non-infectious uveitis. However, our results were insufficient for any robust conclusion. Future RCTs, with large sample sizes, on the current topic are therefore recommended to provide more solid evidence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.