This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Study links hormone replacement therapy and elevated cataract risk

Ophthalmology. 2010;117(3):424-430.

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

Postmenopausal women undergoing long-term hormone replacement therapy may have an elevated risk of cataract, according to a large Swedish study.

Study data showed a higher cataract risk among women on hormone therapy who consumed more than one alcoholic beverage daily.

"A longer duration of [hormone replacement therapy] usage was associated with an increased risk of cataract extraction," the study authors said. "Higher intake of alcohol seemed to potentiate the harmful effect of [hormone replacement therapy] on cataract development. If other studies confirm this association, an increased rate of cataract extraction should be added to the list of potential negative outcomes associated with [hormone replacement therapy]."

The prospective cohort study included 30,861 women aged 49 to 83 years who completed a questionnaire about hormone status, use of hormone replacement therapy and lifestyle. The study identified 4,324 women who underwent cataract surgery during the 98-month follow-up interval.

Study data showed that women who had ever used hormone replacement therapy had a 14% higher risk of cataract than women who had never used therapy. Current users had an 18% higher risk of cataract than women who never used hormone replacement therapy.

Results showed that among women who consumed alcohol, current hormone replacement therapy users had a 29% higher risk of cataract extraction than those who did not use therapy. Current users who consumed more than one alcoholic beverage daily had a 42% higher risk of cataract.

Current hormone replacement therapy users who smoked had a 29% higher risk of cataract than women who neither used therapy nor smoked. Current users who never smoked had a 26% higher risk of cataract than women who neither used therapy nor smoked.

Women who currently used hormone replacement therapy and alcohol and were smokers were at a 38% higher risk of cataract.

Naturally secreted estrogen appears to protect the eye from cataract, but estrogen from outside sources in the form of hormone replacement therapy "is not to be regarded as a physiological substitution and could have other effects on the lens," the authors said.

Follow OSNSuperSite.com on Twitter.