Hysterectomy for Benign Indications and Risk of Cataract Formation in South Korean Women

Background and Objectives: Few studies have investigated the relationship between female reproductive hormones, especially estrogen, and the incidence of cataracts. This study sought to evaluate the effects of hysterectomy on the risk of lens opacity in Korean women. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized data collected from 2007 to 2020 for 255,576 postmenopausal women in the Korean National Health Insurance database. Participants were divided into those who did and did not undergo hysterectomy. The hysterectomy group was further divided into two subgroups according to the type of adnexal surgery performed. The prevalence of cataracts was then compared among the control, hysterectomy alone, and hysterectomy with adnexal surgery groups. Results: The control group included 137,999 participants who did not undergo hysterectomy, while the treatment group included 93,719 women who underwent hysterectomy alone or in combination with adnexal surgery. The incidence of cataracts was higher in the control group than in the treatment group, as demonstrated in a 1:1 propensity score-matching analysis adjusted for potential confounding variables. Conclusions: The incidence of cataracts was significantly lower in the group with hysterectomy than in the control group, but the difference was subtle. The current findings may aid in identifying the role of female reproductive hormones in cataract development.