Early Cataracts May Predict Cancer Risk

For patients who develop cataracts at an early age-under 55-it is important to note that there has been an association between the early onset of cataracts and the potential risk for developing cancer. This is thought to be due to the fact that early onset cataract is linked to insufficient antioxidative activity in one’s metabolism-which is also a known factor for increasing the risk of cancer.

Dr. Michelson and Dr. Hall

Research of Early Onset Cataracts & Cancer

Researchers reporting the journal Cancer Science, looked at the risk of cancer after being diagnosed with early onset cataract. The researchers examined claims from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of patients with early onset cataract, aged 20-55 and also compared it to a group of the same age range without cataracts. By using powerful statistical analysis they found that the overall incidence rate of all cancers was 2.19 times higher in the early onset cataract group as compared to those without cataracts.  Further they were able to analyze where these patients were at greatest risk of developing cancer and found head and neck areas highest, followed by liver cancer and then breast cancer. This study suggests that patients with early onset cataract are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer in subsequent years.

If you or someone you know is concerned about early cataract development or needs a regular eye exam where do a routine cataract screening and exam, please share this information with them and ask them to schedule an appointment at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham is located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D. who perform Laser Cataract Surgery at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital.

High Dose Vitamins & Cataracts

Adding vitamins to your daily diet is a common way to make sure that you are meeting the necessary requirements for overall health. In some cases, people choose to take very high doses of vitamins to hopefully avoid some health problems. A question that is often asked is whether taking vitamins is good or bad for your risk of developing cataracts?

Research on High Dose Vitamins & Cataracts

A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology evaluated the risks and benefits of taking high dose supplements of vitamins C and E and low-dose multivitamins with the risk of developing age related cataract. This study looked at any associations of high-dose supplements of vitamins C and E and low dose multivitamins with the risk of age related cataract in a group of 31,120 men who ranged in age from 45–79 years of age. Their results suggest that the use of high dose-but not low dose-single vitamin C or E supplements may increase the risk of age-related cataract. The risk may be even higher among older men, corticosteroid users, and long-term users.

If you or someone you know takes high doses of vitamins or is concerned about their risk of cataracts please schedule an eye exam and cataract evaluation at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham is located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D. who perform Laser Cataract Surgery at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital.

Stop Smoking to Avoid Cataracts

It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control that more than 42 million people in the United States are smokers. Cataracts are a major cause of vision loss in seniors and affect more than 24 million Americans over the age of 40. Now we know that there is a marked association between smoking and cataract development.

Research on Smoking & Cataracts

Researchers studying the risk of cataracts among smokers reported in JAMA Ophthalmology found that stopping smoking decreases the risk of cataracts over time. The researchers followed a total of 44,371 men, 45 to 79 years old over a 10 year period and the participants filled out questionnaires on their smoking habits and lifestyles and were then matched with the Swedish National Day-Surgery Register and local records of cataract extraction.

The researchers found that smokers of more than 15 cigarettes a day had a 42% increased risk of cataract surgery compared with men who had never smoked. It also found that men who smoked an average of more than 15 cigarettes a day but had stopped smoking more than 20 years earlier had a 21% increased risk. Thus, they found a positive association between cigarette smoking and cataract surgery in men, with a significant increase of cataracts among smokers compared to those who never smoked. Also, stopping smoking was associated with a statistically significant decrease in risk with increasing time from stopping smoking. Even heavy smokers had some benefit from quitting smoking. Further, a previous study from 2005 detailed the relationship between smoking cessation and cataract risk in women. In this study, they found that after cessation of smoking, cataract risk in women decreased with time. Women who smoked 6 to 10 cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 10 years earlier, and women who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 20 years earlier were found to have a relative risk of cataracts not significantly different from women who had never smoked.

Smoking cessation seems to decrease the risk of cataract development and the need for cataract surgery with time, although the risk persists for decades. The higher the intensity of smoking, the longer it takes for the increased risk to decline. These findings emphasize the importance of early smoking cessation and, preferably, the avoidance of smoking altogether.

If you or someone you know is a smoker and is concerned about cataracts please schedule an eye examination at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham is located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D. who perform Laser Cataract Surgery at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital.