Cats and cockroaches may increase the risk for glaucoma, because they carry allergens that can promote the eye disease, new research shows.

But the study, published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, also finds contact with dogs could guard against glaucoma, the Wall Street Journal reports.

People with the condition have significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) — a type of allergic antibody, to cats and cockroaches, compared with people without glaucoma, the study found.

Levels of IgE are also higher in people with asthma and hay fever, raising the possibility the immune system plays a role in glaucoma, said the researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles.

The findings are based on analysis of 1,678 people.