[The role of biogeochemical factors in the pathogenesis of age-related cataract]

The paper describes results of comparative analysis of the incidence of senile cataract in the siliceous and control subregions of the Chuvash ASSR biosphere. Primary morbidity per 10,000 population according to addresses, the number of cataract extractions per 10,000 population, the detection of cataract in active examination of rural population, the incidence of cataract among primary pathology of the eye were used as criteria for the assessment. Besides this, some indices of metabolic processes were studied in practically healthy persons inhabiting these subregions. It was found that the incidence of cataract is twice higher in the siliceous than in the control subregion. The character of lens opacification in the subjects with initial cataract from the siliceous subregion is characterized by predominance of cortical changes, while from the control subregion--by nucleic changes. Among the population of the siliceous subregion, changes in the state of biochemical processes in the body are recorded.