Is open-angle glaucoma associated with early menopause? The Rotterdam Study.

The authors examined the association between age at menopause and open-angle glaucoma among women aged > or = 55 years in the population-based Rotterdam Study (1990--1993). Information on age and type of menopause was obtained by interview. Subjects (n = 3,078) were stratified into three categories according to age at menopause: <45 years, 45--49 years, and > or = 50 years, with the last group serving as the reference group. Diagnosis of open-angle glaucoma was based on the presence of a glaucomatous visual field defect and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Open-angle glaucoma was diagnosed in 78 women with a natural menopause and 15 women with an artificial menopause. In the category of natural menopause, women who went through menopause before reaching the age of 45 years had a higher risk of open-angle glaucoma than the reference group (odds ratio = 2.6; 95% confidence interval: 1.5, 4.8), after adjustment for age and use of hormone replacement therapy. Among women who went through menopause between the ages of 45 and 49 years, the odds ratio was 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.7, 2.0). These findings suggest that early menopause is associated with a higher risk of open-angle glaucoma.