SKIN-DISEASE AND AGE-RELATED CATARACT

Dermatological conditions and treatments were analysed in a study comp aring cataract patients and stringently matched controls. One thousand patients were taken from the cataract waiting list of a specialist ey e hospital, For each patient a matched control of the same gender, hal f-decade of age, and family doctor but without cataract was selected, Venepunctures and eye examinations were performed on both patients and controls; in addition, questionnaire information was obtained from ea ch. Age-related cataract is significantly associated with dermatologic al abnormality and its treatment, the former association being more si gnificant and more pronounced after 69 years of age. The association o f hydrocortisone use after 69 years of age and cataract, however, rema ins significant even after adjustments for dermatological abnormality and steroid use, suggesting that even among steroid medications hydroc ortisone is particularly strongly associated with cataract.