Low to moderate alcohol consumption linked to lower risk of cataracts

Low to moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of requiring surgery for cataracts, finds a new study led by UCL and Moorfields researchers. The study, published today in Ophthalmology (the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology), was observational and does not definitively prove a direct causal effect. The research, by a team from NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, was prompted by inconsistency in the findings from previous studies. These range from showing no link between cataracts and alcohol consumption, to a reduction in risk from low to moderate levels of consumption, to an increased risk from high consumption. Cataracts are cloudy patches that develop in the lens of the eye and eventually impair sight. They usually affect older people, with an estimated 30% of over-65s suffering visually impairing cataract in one or both eyes. Cataract surgery, where the lens is replaced with a clear plastic one, is currently the only treatment.