Diabetes doubles the risk of cataracts

People with diabetes are more likely to have cataracts

Diabetes is a widespread disease that negatively affects various aspects of health. Researchers have now found that people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cataracts.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University found in their study that people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cataracts compared to people without diabetes. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Eye".

Physicians analyze the data of more than 56,500 diabetics

The current study found that people with diabetes in the 45-54 age group are at increased risk of developing cataracts. For their study, the scientists analyzed the medical records of 56,510 people with diabetes aged 40 years or older. The genesis of a cataract was diagnosed with an overall rate of 20.4 per 1,000, the authors explain. This corresponds to a rate of 10.8 per 1,000 in the general population.

Diabetics between the ages of 50 and 54 were at particular risk

When participants with diabetes were between 45 and 49 years old, this resulted in a 4.6-fold increased chance of developing such eye disease. People between the ages of 50 and 54 were five to seven times more at risk, compared to healthy people, add the physicians.

Where did the data come from??

Data from the so-called Clinical Practice Research Datalink, covering about seven percent of the British population and representative of the entire demographic population in terms of age, gender and geographic distribution, were used for the study.

What is a cataract??

A cataract is a clouding of the eye lens. An advanced cataract can be recognized in those affected by the gray color of the pupil. This leads to the widespread name cataract. The clouded lens can be surgically removed in many cases. In this case, it is then replaced with an artificial lens implant. Cataract is a major cause of global vision loss. A previous study by the Vision Loss Expert Group has already revealed that the disease causes significant vision or blindness loss in 65 million people worldwide.

Diabetic maculopathy increases the risk additionally

The current research has shown that diabetes is twice as likely to cause a cataract to be diagnosed, explains author Professor Rupert Bourne of Anglia Ruskin University. The risk is about six times higher in diabetics if the patient has a significant diabetic retinal disease called diabetic maculopathy, the expert adds.

Diabetics should have an eye screen done

This is only the second such research on cataract incidence in diabetes patients in the UK since the 1980s. The results underscore the importance of diabetic eye screening for the early detection and treatment of diabetic eye diseases, thus avoiding future vision loss. The study is an interesting example of how a very large set of electronic patient data can be used to study risk factors for eye disease. (As)