Skip to main content
NCBI home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1992 Dec;82(12):1658–1662. doi: 10.2105/ajph.82.12.1658

Ultraviolet light exposure and lens opacities: the Beaver Dam Eye Study.

K J Cruickshanks 1, B E Klein 1, R Klein 1
PMCID: PMC1694542  PMID: 1456342

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. Exposure to sunlight may be a risk factor for the development of cataract. The relationships between exposure to sunlight and to the ultraviolet-B (UVB) component of light and the prevalence of lens opacities were examined in the Beaver Dam Eye Study. METHODS. Persons 43 to 84 years of age residing in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, were examined using standardized photographic assessments of lens opacities. A questionnaire about medical history and exposure to light was administered. RESULTS. After adjusting for other risk factors, men who had higher levels of average annual ambient UVB light were 1.36 times more likely to have more severe cortical opacities than men with lower levels. However, UVB exposure was not found to be associated with nuclear sclerosis or posterior subcapsular opacities in men. Moreover, no associations with UVB exposure were found for women, who were less likely to be exposed to UVB. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to UVB light may be associated with the severity of cortical opacities in men. However, the lack of an association in women, the group more likely to have cortical opacities, suggests that other factors may be more important in the pathogenesis of lens opacities.

Full text

PDF
1658

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Belkin M., Jacobs D. R., Jackson S. M., Zwick H. Senile cataracts and myopia. Ann Ophthalmol. 1982 Jan;14(1):49–50. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bochow T. W., West S. K., Azar A., Munoz B., Sommer A., Taylor H. R. Ultraviolet light exposure and risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts. Arch Ophthalmol. 1989 Mar;107(3):369–372. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1989.01070010379027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brilliant L. B., Grasset N. C., Pokhrel R. P., Kolstad A., Lepkowski J. M., Brilliant G. E., Hawks W. N., Pararajasegaram R. Associations among cataract prevalence, sunlight hours, and altitude in the Himalayas. Am J Epidemiol. 1983 Aug;118(2):250–264. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113632. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Collman G. W., Shore D. L., Shy C. M., Checkoway H., Luria A. S. Sunlight and other risk factors for cataracts: an epidemiologic study. Am J Public Health. 1988 Nov;78(11):1459–1462. doi: 10.2105/ajph.78.11.1459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Crabbe M. J. Low incidence of cataract in Hawaii despite high exposure to sunlight. Lancet. 1983 Mar 19;1(8325):649–649. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91823-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dolezal J. M., Perkins E. S., Wallace R. B. Sunlight, skin sensitivity, and senile cataract. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 Mar;129(3):559–568. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115168. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hiller R., Giacometti L., Yuen K. Sunlight and cataract: an epidemiologic investigation. Am J Epidemiol. 1977 May;105(5):450–459. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hiller R., Sperduto R. D., Ederer F. Epidemiologic associations with nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataracts. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Dec;124(6):916–925. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114481. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hollows F., Moran D. Cataract--the ultraviolet risk factor. Lancet. 1981 Dec 5;2(8258):1249–1250. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)91490-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hu T. S., Zhen Q., Sperduto R. D., Zhao J. L., Milton R. C., Nakajima A. Age-related cataract in the Tibet Eye Study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1989 May;107(5):666–669. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1989.01070010684027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kharmar B. K., Rawal U. M. Sunlight-its etiological role in cataract formation. Indian J Ophthalmol. 1983;31 (Suppl):842–843. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Klein B. E., Klein R. Cataracts and macular degeneration in older Americans. Arch Ophthalmol. 1982 Apr;100(4):571–573. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1982.01030030573002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Klein B. E., Klein R., Linton K. L. Prevalence of age-related lens opacities in a population. The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmology. 1992 Apr;99(4):546–552. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(92)31934-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Klein R., Klein B. E., Linton K. L., De Mets D. L. The Beaver Dam Eye Study: visual acuity. Ophthalmology. 1991 Aug;98(8):1310–1315. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(91)32137-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kupfer C. Bowman lecture. The conquest of cataract: a global challenge. Trans Ophthalmol Soc U K. 1985;104(Pt 1):1–10. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Leske M. C., Chylack L. T., Jr, Wu S. Y. The Lens Opacities Case-Control Study. Risk factors for cataract. Arch Ophthalmol. 1991 Feb;109(2):244–251. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1991.01080020090051. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Linton K. L., Klein B. E., Klein R. The validity of self-reported and surrogate-reported cataract and age-related macular degeneration in the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Dec 15;134(12):1438–1446. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116049. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mitchell B. D., Lepkowski J. M. The epidemiology of cataract in Nepal. Hum Biol. 1986 Dec;58(6):975–990. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mohan M., Sperduto R. D., Angra S. K., Milton R. C., Mathur R. L., Underwood B. A., Jaffery N., Pandya C. B., Chhabra V. K., Vajpayee R. B. India-US case-control study of age-related cataracts. India-US Case-Control Study Group. Arch Ophthalmol. 1989 May;107(5):670–676. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1989.01070010688028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rosenthal F. S., Bakalian A. E., Taylor H. R. The effect of prescription eyewear on ocular exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Am J Public Health. 1986 Oct;76(10):1216–1220. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.10.1216. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rosenthal F. S., West S. K., Munoz B., Emmett E. A., Strickland P. T., Taylor H. R. Ocular and facial skin exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight: a personal exposure model with application to a worker population. Health Phys. 1991 Jul;61(1):77–86. doi: 10.1097/00004032-199107000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sperduto R. D., Seigel D. Senile lens and senile macular changes in a population-based sample. Am J Ophthalmol. 1980 Jul;90(1):86–91. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(14)75081-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Taylor H. R. The environment and the lens. Br J Ophthalmol. 1980 May;64(5):303–310. doi: 10.1136/bjo.64.5.303. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Taylor H. R., West S. K., Rosenthal F. S., Muñoz B., Newland H. S., Abbey H., Emmett E. A. Effect of ultraviolet radiation on cataract formation. N Engl J Med. 1988 Dec 1;319(22):1429–1433. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198812013192201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Taylor H. R., West S., Muñoz B., Rosenthal F. S., Bressler S. B., Bressler N. M. The long-term effects of visible light on the eye. Arch Ophthalmol. 1992 Jan;110(1):99–104. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1992.01080130101035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wojno T., Singer D., Schultz R. O. Ultraviolet light, cataracts, and spectacle wear. Ann Ophthalmol. 1983 Aug;15(8):729–732. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES