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Exposure to diagnostic x-rays and incident age-related eye disease
B E Klein1, R E Klein, S E Moss
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin 53705-2397, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a self-reported history of computed tomography or other x-rays of the head were associated with the incidence of age-related cataracts and maculopathy five years later.
Method:
A 5-year longitudinal follow-up of the Beaver Dam Eye Study cohort (n=3,684, 43-86 years at baseline).
Results:
There was no evidence of a relationship between the x-ray exposures and the incidence of nuclear or cortical cataracts, or early maculopathy. There was a significant relationship to the incidence of posterior subcapsular cataract after adjusting for age only.
Conclusions:
Adult patients in whom medical conditions warrant diagnostic x-rays of the head appear to be at little or no increased risk of age-related cataract or maculopathy. However, research efforts with more precise measures of x-ray exposure, longer follow-up, and further attempts to define uncontrolled confounders are warranted.