Senile cataracts and myopia

A retrospective survey of 32 persons with myopia and 38 persons with emmetropia who had been operated on at two US Army hospitals on the California coast showed that the persons with myopia who had worn eyeglasses for at least 20 years underwent cataract extraction at a significantly (P less than .00005) older age than the persons with emmetropia (median age at the time of the operation was 70 years, compared with 64 years). These results support the theory that some protection against solar ultraviolet radiation is offered the eyes by eye wear worn continuously and that solar ultraviolet radiation may be a contributing factor in the formation of human senile cataracts.