Presbyopia and lens opacities

Purpose. Presbyopia and cataract are the major clinical manifestations of ageing of the crystalline lens, but the extent to which these two entities are related is unknown. We examined the association between presbyopia and lens opacities. Methods. The sample for this study was taken from the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project, a large population-based study of the distribution and determinants of eye disease in people aged 40 and over in Melbourne, Australia. A total of 3271 people representing 83% of the eligible population participated. We have data on lens opacities and strength of presbyopic correction for 1164 people, and these people were included in this study. Results. A multiple linear regression modelled presbyopic correction against age, gender and lens opacities. Age (β estimate=0.039, p<0.0001), female gender (β estimate=0.170, p<0.0001) and nuclear opacities (β=0.205, p=0.041) all significantly predicted presbyopic correction. When restricting the analysis to those aged 50+, nuclear opacities became more significant (p=0.03) and cortical opacities became marginally significant (p=0.04). Conclusions. These results demonstrate an association between presbyopia and lens opacities.