Alcohol use and risk of posterior subcapsular opacities
B. Munoz, U. Tajchman, T. Bochow and S. West
Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21205.
We conducted a follow-up study of surgical cases of posterior subcapsular
cataracts and their controls to evaluate the possible association of
alcohol intake and posterior subcapsular opacities. Two hundred
thirty-eight cases and controls were interviewed. Current alcohol intake
and usual and maximum weekly consumption ever were assessed. In this
population, 57% of the cases and 56% of the controls were nondrinkers, 22%
of the cases and 36% of the controls had an average of seven or fewer
drinks per week, and 17% of the cases and 8% of the controls had more than
seven drinks per week. A matched pair analysis controlling for other known
risk factors showed an increased risk associated with heavy alcohol use.
Heavy drinkers were more likely to be cases than were nondrinkers (odds
ratio, 4.6; P < .05), and light drinkers were not at an increased risk.
This result suggests that heavy alcohol consumption may increase the risk
of posterior subcapsular cataract.
