Purpose: Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world due to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties. This review aims to describe the relationship between acetylsalicylic acid and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - a chronic disease that causes deterioration of visual acuity and is one of the most common ophthalmological diseases these days.
Methods: Data presented in this review were collected from both research and review articles concerning ophthalmology and pharmacology.
Results: The results of the studies analyzed in this review are not unambiguous. Moreover, the studies are not homogenous. They differed from one another in terms of the number of patients, the age criteria, the ASA dose, and the duration of control period. The reviewed studies revealed that ASA therapy, which is applied as a protection in cardiovascular diseases in patients with early forms of AMD and geographic atrophy, should not be discontinued.
Conclusion: On the basis of the present studies, it cannot be unequivocally said whether ASA influences people's vision and if people endangered with AMD progression or who are diagnosed with AMD should use this drug. It may increase the risk of AMD, but it can also reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions. The authors suggest that in order to avoid possible risks of AMD development, people who frequently take ASA should have their vision checked regularly.
Keywords: AMD; acetylsalicylic acid; drusen genesis; geographic atrophy; lipofuscin genesis; retinal pigment epithelium cells.