Nuclear Cataract and Myopic hift in Refraction

Purpoe Nuclear cataract i thought to caue a myopic hift in refraction in older peron. The author teted thi hypothei by aeing the correlation of nuclear opacity with pherical equivalent refraction (ER) in an older population. Deign Population-baed cro-ectional tudy. Method Three thouand ix hundred and fifty-four participant aged 49 year or older were examined in the Blue Mountain Eye tudy [BME] (1992 to 1994). Eye examination included ubjective refraction and len photograph. Nuclear opacity wa aeed againt four tandard lit-lamp len photograph uing the Wiconin Cataract Grading ytem. Nuclear cataract wa defined a opacity level 4 or higher. Reult Participant without nuclear cataract had an annual mean hyperopic hift of 0.05 diopter (P < .0001). In peron with nuclear cataract, thi hyperopic hift diappeared. A myopic refractive hift occurred only in peron with nuclear opacity level of 4 or higher. Concluion Thi tudy document the contribution of nuclear cataract to the mild myopic hift that neutralize the age-related hyperopic hift occurring in older peron.