Key Takeaways
- Statin use was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in dry eye disease risk across six observational studies.
- The evidence was rated very low certainty, underscoring the need for standardized studies to better define the effects of statin type, dose, and duration on dry eye disease
Statin use was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of dry eye disease (DED), according to a study.
Researchers analyzed 6 observational studies involving 560,821 participants, including 356,012 statin users. Patients using statins had 9% higher odds of DED than nonusers (P < 0.001), equivalent to an estimated 10.2 more cases per 1,000 patients (95% CI, 5.5-15.2).
The review found no evidence that the association varied based on study risk of bias, method of DED outcome assessment, type of effect estimate, or leave-one-out sensitivity analyses. The direction of the association remained consistent across the included studies.
Investigators noted that the certainty of the evidence was very low because of limitations in study design and inconsistency across studies.
They also suggested clinicians monitor for ocular surface symptoms and educate patients taking statins who have existing risk factors for DED.
Reference
Gou D, Qiu W, Chang V, et al. Association between statin use and dry eye disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Ophthalmol. 2026;S0002-9394(26)00343-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2026.06.031. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42331129.
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