Time: Use of birth control pill may bring on glaucoma

[GA Russell]

This is a scary article which says that if a woman uses the birth control pill for three years or more, she may have twice the likelihood of going blind from glaucoma later in life.

I say this is scary because I'm confident that a great many American women have already used it for three consecutive years.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/11/18/prolonged-use-of-birth-control-pill-linked-to-glaucoma/

[Blue Train]

This is a scary article which says that if a woman uses the birth control pill for three years or more, she may have twice the likelihood of going blind from glaucoma later in life.

I say this is scary because I'm confident that a great many American women have already used it for three consecutive years.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/11/18/prolonged-use-of-birth-control-pill-linked-to-glaucoma/

Not a biologist, and I don't play one on tv. Here is my take on reports... and I read a lot of scientific research papers, even written several of my own that are big in my field....once again not biological, but still.

You have no idea how many reports that get released that completely contradict each other @ times.

Who paid for it? How many people, and for how long was the research done? Who are the researchers, and how are they connected to whomever is paying for it?

Then there is the reporting of reports. Amazing how the same report can be reported differently depending whom is reporting it.

As in, a copy of the actual report is what you want to read while taking that all in mind.

Even without the pill....women in general are 3 times more likely to have Glaucoma than men. That's just a fact of nature that can't be gotten around from.

Having saying that....the pill is a whole lot better than no pill.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Blue Train

[sonnymax]

I think the OP needs to re-read the "article" (actually, it's little more than a blurb) before getting too worried. First of all, the increased risk of glaucoma is presumably linked to low estrogen levels, not the pill, per se. The author (a reporter, not a researcher) uses phrases like, "Although there isn’t a firm conclusion, the researchers speculate that..." and "The data confirms only an association — not necessarily a direct cause — between oral contraceptives and glaucoma at this time...". Research studies are an important part of the scientific process, but their purported findings are too often reported by the media in a casual or sensational manner, causing confusion and distress in the general population.

Edited November 19, 2013 by sonnymax

[medjuck]

If this were true there would be a lot more blind women around.

[Jazzmoose]

If this were true there would be a lot more blind women around.

And I'd be a lot luckier...

[page]

This is a scary article which says that if a woman uses the birth control pill for three years or more, she may have twice the likelihood of going blind from glaucoma later in life.

I say this is scary because I'm confident that a great many American women have already used it for three consecutive years.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/11/18/prolonged-use-of-birth-control-pill-linked-to-glaucoma/

That is scary indeed. I have used it in the past but discovered at a certain moment that my health was suffering from it. Lately there has been a lot on the news on this pill called Diane 35 which has caused deaths even. I'm not surprised by this story you brought to our attention. There are better ways to protect yourself.

Edited November 19, 2013 by page

[page]

Having saying that....the pill is a whole lot better than no pill.

I think I would rephrase that to: the pill is a whole lot better than no protection at all. It is to both partners to take responsibilty.

[Jerry_L]

I'm glad I never took it.