Serum electrolytes in patients with senile cataract

Abstract

Background: Senile cataract, the world’s leading cause of treatable blindness, is an age-related, vision-impairing disease characterized by gradual progressive thickening of the lens. Disturbance in the concentration of serum electrolytes plays a very important role in the etiopathogenesis of senile cataract. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to study and compare the level of serum sodium, potassium, and chloride in patients with senile cataract and in controls. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in 100 subjects aged between 50 and 80 years, which include 50 senile cataract patients and 50 healthy controls. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 18 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean values of serum sodium and chloride were significantly elevated in senile cataract patients when compared to controls. There was no significant difference in mean potassium level between the two groups. Conclusion: Disturbances in the concentration of serum electrolytes can alter their concentration in aqueous humor, which might exceed the capacity of pumps and channels present in the lens membrane, resulting in volume overload and lens opacities. Therefore, the level of serum sodium and chloride can be used as markers of senile cataract formation. Dietary salt restriction can help to delay the progress of cataract formation.