Cataract Surgery in Eyes with Low Corneal Astigmatism: Implantation of the Acrysof IQ Toric SN6AT2 Intraocular Lens.

PURPOSE: To assess the refractive and visual outcomes following cataract surgery and implantation of the AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 intraolcular lens (IOL) (Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) in patients with low corneal astigmatism. METHODS: This study is a retrospective, consecutive, single surgeon series of 98 eyes of 88 patients (with low preoperative corneal astigmatism) undergoing cataract surgery and implantation of the AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 IOL. Postoperative measurements were obtained 1-month postsurgery. Main outcome measures were monocular distance visual acuity and residual refractive astigmatism. RESULTS: Mean preoperative corneal astigmatic power vector (APV) was 0.38±0.09 D. Following surgery and implantation of the toric IOL, mean postoperative refractive APV was 0.13±0.10 D. Mean postoperative distance uncorrected visual acuity was 0.08±0.09 logMAR. Postoperative spherical equivalent refraction (SER) resulted in a mean of -0.23±0.22 D, with 96% of eyes falling within 0.50 D of the target SER. CONCLUSION: The AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2 IOL is a safe and effective option for eyes undergoing cataract surgery with low levels of preoperative corneal astigmatism.

Cardiovascular disease, vascular risk factors and the incidence of cataract and cataract surgery: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To assess whether an association exists between cardiovascular disease, vascular risk factors and incident cataract and cataract surgery. METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants > or = 49 years of age during 1992-4, then 2335 survivors (75.1%) after five years. Trained interviewers administered a vascular history questionnaire; height, weight and blood pressure were measured. Lens photographs from both examinations were graded for presence of cortical, nuclear or posterior subcapsular cataract. RESULTS: Obesity (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2) was significantly associated with increased incidence of both cortical [odds ratio (OR) 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-2.2] and posterior subcapsular cataract (OR 2.1, CI 1.2-3.7). Hypertensive participants using medication and aged less than 65 years at baseline had a higher incidence of posterior subcapsular cataract (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.3-8.4) than normotensive subjects. A history of angina was associated with higher cataract surgery incidence (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3-5). CONCLUSIONS: These longitudinal data provide some evidence supporting a relationship between cardiovascular disease, vascular risk factors and incident cataract and cataract surgery. The findings confirm a number of associations previously documented in cross-sectional data.

Myopic refractive shift caused by incident cataract: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To assess the myopic shift in refraction caused by incident cataract in the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) population. METHODS: Five-year prospective follow-up of the BMES, initially performed in 1992. After 5 years, 2335 survivors (75.1%) of 3654 baseline BMES participants were re-examined. Refractive change was assessed by age, sex, incident cataract type and baseline refraction. Slit-lamp and retroillumination lens photographs were graded for presence of incident cataract and signs of previous cataract surgery. Objective and subjective refractions were performed. RESULTS: In a multivariate model, age (p < 0.0001), incident nuclear cataract (p < 0.0003), hyperopia (p < 0.0009), incident posterior subcapsular cataract (p < 0.0027) and incident cortical cataract (p < 0.025) were factors associated with a relatively modest myopic refractive shift (0.34 diopters). Baseline myopia and gender were not associated with refractive change over the follow-up period. A myopic shift in refraction occurred most frequently in older (> or = 70 years) than younger (< 70 years) participants. CONCLUSIONS: Older age, baseline hyperopia and all types of incident cataract were principal factors found associated with myopic refractive shift over 5 years in an older population.

Hormone replacement therapy, reproductive factors, and the incidence of cataract and cataract surgery: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

The authors aimed to assess the relation between endogenous and exogenous female hormones and the incidence of age-related cataract and cataract surgery. The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 2,072 women aged 49 years or older during 1992-1994, of whom 1,343 (74.0% of survivors) were reexamined after 5 years, during 1997-1999. Information on reproductive factors and use of hormone replacement therapy was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Lens photographs were graded for the presence of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataract at baseline and follow-up. Women who had ever used hormone replacement therapy had a decreased incidence of cortical cataract affecting any eye compared with never users (odds ratio = 0.7, 95% confidence interval: 0.4, 1.0). However, this was not statistically significant (odds ratio = 0.7, 95% confidence interval: 0.4, 1.1) when using the first affected eye. Older age at menarche was associated with an increased incidence of cataract surgery (odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 5.7) and a significant trend for increasing incidence of nuclear cataract (p = 0.04). There was also a significant trend for decreasing incidence of cataract surgery with increasing duration of reproductive years (p = 0.009). These epidemiologic data provide some evidence that estrogen may play a protective role in reducing the incidence of age-related cataract and cataract surgery.