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October 15 2012
Smoking may lead to the development of cataracts in the aging population, according to a new study.
The researchers found that cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of age-related cataract, especially nuclear cataract.
“Although cataracts can be removed surgically to restore sight, many people remain blind from cataracts due to inadequate surgical services and high surgery expenses,” said lead researcher Juan Ye, from Zhejiang University in China. “Identifying modifiable risk factors for cataracts may help establish preventive measures and reduce the financial, as well as clinical burden, caused by the disease.”
The team conducted a meta-analysis of 13 cohort studies and eight case-control studies to compare the prevalence of age-related cataract in individuals who ever smoked cigarettes with those who had never smoked.
The results showed that smoking was associated with a significantly increased risk of age-related cataract, with a higher risk of incidence in current smokers.
Subgroup analysis also showed that former and current smokers were at a higher risk of nuclear and subscapular cataract than non-smokers. The researchers say this finding suggests that pathophysiologic processes may differ in the different cataract types.
The study appears in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
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