A new study suggests women who take birth control pills over a long period of time are at a heightened risk of coming down with glaucoma, ABC News reported.

Glaucoma is leading cause of blindness and often occurs for women later in life and among those with family history of the disease. The National Eye Institute said one to two percent of middle-aged women experience glaucoma.

The study was a collaboration of researchers from Duke University, University of California - San Francisco and the Third Affiliate Hospital of Nanchang University. The study, presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, is the first to link long term use of birth control with glaucoma.

"We can't really say [birth control pills] cause glaucoma," said study author Elaine Wang, a researchers from Duke. "But if you have been taking it for more than three years, and especially if you have other risk factors such as family history and older age, then you might want to talk to your doctor and go see an ophthalmologist to screen for glaucoma."

She said the study will help scientists find preventative measures to take against glaucoma.

"The goal of our study was to try to identify specific risk factors so we could potentially intervene and change these risk factors, as well as screen earlier for glaucoma," said Wang.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a senior medical contributor to ABC News, said the study's findings are of note, but should not cause alarm in anyone currently taking birth control. As Wang said, other risk factors like family history and existing medical conditions contribute largely to glaucoma.

"This study does not demonstrate cause and effect between use of the pill and development of glaucoma," Ashton, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, said. "There are numerous qualifying issues: the study's authors state that 'long-term use might be a potential risk factor' and should be considered especially when other risk factors are present.'"

Dr. Stephen Sisson, executive director of ambulatory services at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, agreed and said women should rather consider health risks tied to pregnancy, as well as contraception.

"Pregnancy itself carries significant health risks," Sisson said.

Ashton said the study should not alarm anyone, but should also serve as a reminder to women seeking contraception to talk to a doctor about the various options.

"I would counsel women of younger ages to remember that oral contraceptives, while in existence for over 50 years, are still medications, and therefore the same risk/benefit profile must apply for each individual woman," Ashton said. "Each woman needs to consider why she is taking 'the pill' and what the pros and cons are for her, specifically."