An observational study on morphological types of cataracts in hypertensive patients

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate common morphological types of cataracts in patients with hypertension (HTN) alone (hypertensive patients) planned for cataract surgery. Methods: It is a prospective cross-sectional study. It was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology at a tertiary eye care centre from January 2022 to June 2022. Hypertensive patients, without any other systemic diseases, who presented with cataract in either of their eyes were included in the study. The classification of cataract was performed according to the Lens Opacities Classification System III. Results: Two hundred and eighty eyes of 140 patients were included in the study. The mean age of presentation was 64.9 ± 7.38 years (median 67 years; range 39–81 years). There were 63 (45%) males, and the rest were females. Of 140, 14 patients were below the age of 55 years, 2 patients were above 75 years, and the majority (42 patients) belonged to the age group between 67 and 70 years. Nuclear sclerosis (NS) cataract was the most common morphological type found in the eyes of hypertensive patients followed by posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). PSC significantly correlated with HTN when compared to other types of cataracts excluding NS (P < 0.0001). No significant relation was found between the grade of HTN and the grade of NS. Conclusion: Apart from the risk of formation of any type of cataract, NS and PSC were more commonly found in patients with HTN. Moreover, PSC was closely related to HTN when compared to other types of cataracts excluding NS.

Keywords

• cataract
• cataract types
• hypertension
• nuclear sclerosis
• posterior subcapsular cataract