Osteoporosis & Cataract Risk

What do calcium, osteoporosis and your risk of developing cataracts have to do with each other? Quite a bit as it turns out! Researchers reporting in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology shared some interesting information regarding an association between cataracts, cataract surgery and osteoporosis.

Calcium, Osteoporosis & Risk of Developing Cataracts

Most of us know that calcium is an important nutrient necessary for bone health and avoiding osteoporosis. But, did you know that calcium is an important factor in cataract formation? The researchers evaluated the association between osteoporosis and cataracts and found that age, female sex, higher socioeconomic class, smoking, chronic renal failure, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases are all associated with an increased prevalence of osteoporosis. Then through careful statistical modeling also found that these factors and osteoporosis are ALL associated with an increased prevalence of cataracts. 

Thus, they concluded that osteoporosis is associated with the presence of cataracts which may be related to calcium imbalance, hormonal abnormalities, and even a shared genetic predisposition.

If you or someone you know is concerned about osteoporosis and their risk of cataracts, please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.