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Cataract associations with pinguecula and pterygium: the Blue Mountains Eye Study
R Lim1, P Mitchell, R G Cumming
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Australia.
Purpose:
To determine associations between cataract types and pinguecula and pterygium.
Methods:
The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3,654 persons aged 49 to 97 years near Sydney, Australia. A questionnaire was used to collect information on cataract risk factors. Slit-lamp examination recorded pinguecula and pterygium. Masked lens photograph grading assessed cataract.
Results:
Pinguecula, found in 2,418 right eyes and 2,437 left eyes, was statistically significantly associated with cortical cataract (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40) after multivariate adjustment. Pterygium, found in 199 right eyes and 188 left eyes, was associated with posterior subcapsular cataract (OR = 1.90).
Conclusions:
Associations were found between cataract and the presence of either pinguecula or pterygium. These findings provide indirect support for Watermen Study findings, which link ultraviolet radiation to cataract.