Lens Thickness in Atopic Cataract: A Case-Control Study.

Abstract

To examine whether atopic cataracts are associated with thinner lenses. Department of Ophthalmology, Jikei University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Retrospective matched case-control study. A total of 31 eyes with atopic cataracts, 62 with non-atopic cataracts, and 31 without cataracts were analyzed. Each group was matched for age (± 4 years) and sex. The mean lens thickness (LT) was 3.76 ± 0.40, 3.94 ± 0.49, and 4.11 ± 0.40 mm in eyes with atopic cataracts, non-atopic cataracts, and normal lenses, respectively. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed that the LT in the atopic cataract group was significantly thinner than that in the non-atopic cataract (P = 0.036) and normal lens (P < 0.001) groups. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, a thinner LT was negatively correlated with age (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86-0.96) and positively correlated with anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC) (OR 5.61, 95% CI 1.97-15.99). Atopy was not a significant factor. Twenty-four of the 62 eyes (38.7%) with non-atopic cataracts and 24 of the 31 eyes (77.4%) with atopic cataracts had ASC. The lenses of eyes with atopic cataracts were thinner than those of controls. Atopic cataracts frequently present with anterior subcapsular opacity, which is associated with lens thinning.