Dyslipidemia: A risk factor for cataract

Abstract

Objective: To determine lipid profile in patients of age-related cataract and compared them with age matched controls. Study Design: Case Control study. Setting: Naseer Memorial Hospital, Dadyal. Period: January 2022 to December 2022. Material & Methods: A total of 300 patients were recruited using a consecutive non-probability sampling method and divided in two groups, one control and the other having cataract. The patients underwent a thorough ocular assessment and lipid profile evaluation. Inclusion criteria was age 40 years or older of any gender having senile cataracts of any morphological form. Exclusion criteria was history of ocular trauma, systemic disease, ocular surgery, oral steroids or cataract other than senile cause. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. The results showed that patients with senile cataracts had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol, and significantly lower levels of HDL cholesterol than the controls. The collected data was entered in the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 for analysis. Independent t test was applied and p value ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: It was found that patients with senile cataracts had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL and significantly lower levels of HDL than the age-matched controls. Conclusion: The findings suggested that dyslipidemia is a modifiable risk factor for age-related cataract.