A new Australian study has found low dose aspirin does not affect the incidence or progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The aspirin in reducing events in the elderly–AMD (ASPREE–AMD) randomised clinical trial found that after three years of taking a low dose (100 mg) of aspirin daily, the proportion of incident AMD cases was comparable in the aspirin and placebo groups.

While the proportion of cases that progressed from early/intermediate to late AMD was slightly lower in the aspirin group than in the placebo group, the study authors noted this difference was not significant.

Overall, the study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology online,1 concluded that the results do not support suggestions that low-dose daily aspirin prevents the development or progression of AMD.

Reference
1. Robman, L.D., Wolfe, R., Woods, R.L., et al., Effect of low-dose aspirin on the course of age-related macular degeneration: A secondary analysis of the ASPREE randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online May 23, 2024. DOI:10.1001/ jamaophthalmol.2024.1584.