LENS OPACITIES, DEMOGRAPHIC-FACTORS AND NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS IN THE BARBADOS EYE STUDY

Background. This study evaluated the association of age-related lens o pacities with the use of nutritional supplements and demographic facto rs among 4314 black participants (greater than or equal to 40 years) i n the population-based Barbados Eye Study. Methods. Lenses were classi fied at the slit lamp by the Lens Opacities Classification System II ( LOCS II); a score greater than or equal to 2 was used to define the pr esence of gradable lens opacities, by type. Lens changes also included prior cataract surgery or cataract too advanced to grade. Association s with risk factors were evaluated by logistic regression analyses. Re sults. The study identified 1800 individuals with lens changes in at l east one eye; 229 had nuclear opacities only; 851 had cortical opaciti es only. Older age and indicators of lower socioeconomic status (low e ducation and/or non-professional occupation), were positively associat ed with both nuclear (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90) and cortical (OR = 1.47) opacities. Women had an increased risk of cortical opacities (OR = 1. 41). Regular users of nutritional supplements were less likely to have lens changes (OR = 0.78) and, specifically, cortical opacities (OR = 0.77). The association with nutritional supplements was present in tho se <70 years, but not at older ages. Conclusions. The study supports t he association of lower socioeconomic status with lens changes, includ ing nuclear and cortical lens opacities. The findings also suggest tha t regular users of nutritional supplements have a one-fourth lower ris k of lens changes and particularly, of cortical opacities; a result se en at ages under 70 years. The associations with potentially modifiabl e factors indicate the need for further evaluations, given the high pr evalence of lens opacities.