An Epidemiological Study of the Risk Factors Associated with Anterior Polar Cataract

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence rate and risk factors for anterior polar cataract. METHODS: We examined the frequency of anterior polar cataract in 603 patients who had undergone cataract operation in the Department of Ophthalmology from July 1999 to July 2000. Moreover, we evaluated retrospectively the risk factor of 628 anterior polar cataracts and compared with that of 302 non-anterior polar cataract as well as with that of 552 non-cataract persons as a control from March 1995 to December 2000. This study defined risk factors related to the cataract formation as birth place, residence, occupation, sun-light exposure, drinking, smoking, systemic disease, long-term used drugs, family history, ocular trauma, glasses, and feminine parity. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of anterior polar cataract was 16.1% in total cataract patients, it had male of 81.4% and female of 18.6%. Average age of anterior polar cataract patients was 51.9 years; below fifty years was 44 patients (45.4%), 50~59 years 28 patients (28.9%), 60~69 years 16 patients (16.5%), over 70 years 9 patients (9.3%). Our findings for multivariate analysis that ocular trauma, intraocular disease in male and diabetes in female were significantly associated with anterior polar cataract. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, 16.1% of total cataract patients had anterior polar cataract; 81.4% was male and 45.5% was below fifty years of age.