Association between Age-related Cataract and Mortality in Sweden: A Long-term Population-based Follow-up Study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Gerontology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Age-related cataract is a common visual impairment in older populations.
• Understanding its potential impact on overall health, including mortality, is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between age-related cataract and all-cause mortality.
• To determine if cataract is an independent risk factor for mortality in an elderly Swedish cohort.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study was conducted with 1,817 subjects aged 65-74 years in Sweden.
• Data included baseline examination for cataract and long-term follow-up for mortality from population registers.
• Cox regression analyses were used to assess the association, adjusting for various health factors.

Main Results:

• Over 27,000 person-years of follow-up, 1,633 deaths were recorded.
• No statistically significant association was found between the presence of cataract and all-cause mortality (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.90-1.10).
• Multivariate analysis confirmed no link, even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, smoking, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.

Conclusions:

• In this Swedish cohort of individuals aged 65-74 years, age-related cataract was not associated with all-cause mortality.
• The findings suggest that cataract, in this population, does not appear to be a predictor of overall survival.