By Elodie Vaz | Published on May 18,
2026 | 4 min read
Glaucoma is one of the
leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. This progressive optic
neuropathy, characterized by damage to the optic nerve often linked to elevated
intraocular pressure, still raises many questions about its underlying
pathophysiological mechanisms. Among the avenues being explored is the role of
cerebral and ocular blood flow, which has already been implicated in another
common neurological disorder: migraine.
A study published on May
6, 2026 by the American Academy of Neurology in the journal Neurology
now suggests that a recent class of preventive migraine treatments, calcitonin
gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, may be associated with a reduced risk
of glaucoma.
CGRP inhibitors at the
center of research
Previous studies had
already highlighted a link between migraine and glaucoma, with both conditions
sharing abnormalities in the regulation of cerebral and ocular blood flow.
Researchers therefore sought to determine whether CGRP inhibitors, used for migraine
prevention, could influence the risk of developing glaucoma.
“Glaucoma is a major
cause of blindness, and studies have linked migraine to an increased risk of
glaucoma, with both conditions affecting the ability of blood vessels in the
brain to modulate blood flow in response to stimuli,” Chien-Hsiang Weng, lead author
of the study, explained in a press release. “Because CGRP inhibitors help
regulate blood vessel contraction and inflammation in the nervous system, there
was hope that these drugs might improve eye health in people at risk of
glaucoma.”
CGRP inhibitors are a
recent therapeutic class that targets a neuropeptide involved in the
pathophysiology of migraine. They include monoclonal antibodies — erenumab,
fremanezumab, galcanezumab and eptinezumab — as well as CGRP receptor
antagonists, known as “gepants,” such as atogepant and rimegepant.
To conduct their
analysis, the researchers used a healthcare database including patients who had
received a new prescription for preventive migraine treatment, with at least
one prescription refill. Participants were then followed for up to three years
to identify new cases of glaucoma.
The study compared 36,822
people treated with CGRP inhibitors with an equally sized group receiving other
preventive migraine treatments. These comparators included valproate,
topiramate, flunarizine, candesartan, lisinopril, metoprolol, propranolol, nadolol,
amitriptyline and venlafaxine.
The researchers also
adjusted their analyses for several factors that could influence glaucoma risk,
including age, migraine frequency and a history of high blood pressure.
A 25% lower risk of
glaucoma
During follow-up, 153
patients in the CGRP inhibitor group developed glaucoma, corresponding to 0.42%
of participants. In the group receiving other migraine preventive treatments,
223 cases were recorded, corresponding to 0.61% of participants.
After statistical
adjustment, the authors reported a 25% reduction in glaucoma risk among
patients exposed to CGRP inhibitors compared with those receiving other
preventive migraine treatments.
A detailed analysis of
the results revealed an important difference according to the molecules
studied. The reduction in risk was observed only with CGRP inhibitors in the
form of monoclonal antibodies.
Gepants, which are CGRP receptor antagonists,
did not show a comparable effect.
These findings strengthen
the hypothesis that the vascular and neuroinflammatory pathways targeted by
monoclonal antibodies may play a specific role in protecting the optic nerve.
Monoclonal antibodies
stand out
The authors nevertheless
point out that this observational study does not prove a direct causal link
between CGRP inhibitors and reduced glaucoma risk. It only identifies a
statistical association.
“Further studies are
needed to confirm these results, but these findings may help us better
understand migraine and glaucoma,” Professor Weng emphasized.
The study also has
several limitations. In particular, the researchers were unable to account for
family history of glaucoma or certain ophthalmological risk factors that could
have influenced the results.
These findings open up an
original perspective at the interface between neurology and ophthalmology. As
the vascular and inflammatory mechanisms shared by neurodegenerative diseases
become better understood, treatments developed for one condition may eventually
find unexpected applications in other clinical fields.
Read next: Comparative
effects of different drugs for the acute management of migraine episodes in
adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis
About the Author – Elodie Vaz
Health journalist, CFPJ graduate (2023).
Élodie explores the marks diseases leave on bodies and, more broadly, on
human life. A registered nurse since 2010, she spent twelve years at patients’
bedsides before exchanging her stethoscope for a notebook. She now investigates
the links between environment and health, convinced that the vitality of life
cannot be reduced to that of humans.
