Aspirin and age related macular degeneration cause for concern

New Australian research has suggested a link between long-term use of aspirin and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) development. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in Western countries. Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study found participants who reported using aspirin at least once a week were twice as likely to develop neovascular AMD in the subsequent 15 years[1].  In commentary accompanying the study, Kaul and Diamond pointed out that there is a lack of causal evidence at this point, arguing that the strength of the evidence is not sufficiently robust to be clinically directive[2]. “Decisions about aspirin use are best made by balancing the risks against the benefits in the context of each individual’s medical history and value judgments,” they wrote.