TOPLINE:
Severe deficiency of vitamin D (< 25 nmol/L) has been related to a considerably elevated danger for cataracts, notably in individuals youthful than 50 years.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between serum ranges of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the danger for cataracts, utilizing knowledge from the UK Biobank.
- The cross-sectional evaluation included 442,255 contributors with knowledge on serum ranges of vitamin D; amongst them, 427,923 contributors (imply age, 56.2 years; 53.6% girls) with out cataracts at baseline have been adopted up for a median length of 10.8 years within the longitudinal evaluation.
- Based on serum ranges of vitamin D at baseline, contributors have been categorized into these with extreme deficiency (< 25 nmol/L), average deficiency (25-49.9 nmol/L), insufficiency (50-74.9 nmol/L), or sufficiency (≥ 75 nmol/L).
- Cases of cataracts have been confirmed from hospital information and self-reported data.
TAKEAWAY:
- Of the 442,255 contributors within the cross-sectional evaluation, 3.24% had cataracts, and of the 427,923 contributors within the longitudinal evaluation, 13.02% developed the situation.
- In cross-sectional analyses, people with vitamin D ranges < 25 nmol/L had a 12% greater danger for cataracts than these with ranges starting from 50 to 74.9 nmol/L (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.21).
- In the longitudinal evaluation, contributors with vitamin D ranges beneath 25 nmol/L had an 11% greater danger of creating cataracts than these with ranges of 50-74.9 nmol/L (aHR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15); the danger was even larger amongst individuals youthful than 50 years (aHR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.49), whereas these aged 60 years or older had a 9% elevated danger (aHR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04-1.14).
IN PRACTICE:
“The study identified significant cross-sectional and prospective associations between vitamin D deficiency and increased cataract risk, with younger individuals being more susceptible,” the researchers reported. “These findings suggest a potential critical period in early adulthood when vitamin D supplementation may be most effective for cataract prevention, warranting further investigation into age-specific intervention strategies,” they added.
SOURCE:
This research was led by Yu Peng and Yuzhou Zhang, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. It was revealed online on August 18, 2025, within the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
LIMITATIONS:
Not all instances of cataract could have been recognized on this research. This research relied on baseline measurement of vitamin D ranges, which didn’t account for variations through the follow-up interval. The findings might not be generalizable to different populations as practically 95% of contributors within the UK Biobank have been of White ethnicity.
DISCLOSURES:
This research was supported partly by the General Research Fund, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong; Collaborative Research Fund; Health and Medical Research Fund, Hong Kong; and different sources. The authors declared no conflicts of curiosity.
This article was created utilizing a number of editorial instruments, together with AI, as a part of the method. Human editors reviewed this content material earlier than publication.