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

Kim, Hyo Jin; Park, Joo Wan; Joo, Choun Ki

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2003;44(3):606-614.
Published online March 1, 2003.

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

¹Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The Catholic university of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Ophthalmology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ckjoo@catholic.ac.kr

전극부 백내장의 역학과 위험 인자에 관한 연구

김효진 ( Hyo Jin Kim ) , 박주완 ( Joo Wan Park ) , 주천기 ( Choun Ki Joo )

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.

Key Words: Anterior polar cataract;Prevalence;Risk factors;Retrospective study