Statins may be linked with reduced nuclear cataract risk

Statin use may be associated with a lower risk of nuclear cataract, according to a large population-based study.

Barbara E. K. Klein, MD, MPH, and colleagues analyzed data from 1,299 people already enrolled in the Beaver Dam Eye Study, a longitudinal population-based study of age-related eye disease. This group of participants was seen at their third exam between 1998 and 2000, had gradable photographs in both eyes and was deemed to be at risk of developing a nuclear cataract within 5 years. Cataracts were graded from photographs taken through the participant’s dilated pupil.

A total of 210 people developed incident nuclear cataract in the interval from the third exam through 2003-2005. The overall 5-year incidence of nuclear cataract was 12.2% in people who used statins to control cholesterol and 17.2% in people who were not on statin therapy.

The authors said the 5-year incidence of cortical cataract was 9.9% in the statin users’ group and 7.5% in the statin-free group. Posterior subcapsular cataracts occurred in 3% of the statin group and in 3.4% of the non-statin group.

The study is published in the June issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.