Objective: To evaluate the association between cataract and mortality in a black population by type of opacity, which has not been documented previously.
Design: Population-based cohort study.
Participants: The Barbados Incidence Study of Eye Diseases reexamined the Barbados Eye Study cohort, identified through a simple random sample of predominantly black Barbadian-born citizens, aged 40 to 84 years. Of those eligible, 85% (3427 participants) had a 4-year follow-up visit.
Methods: Baseline and follow-up visits included an interview, blood pressure and other measurements, and a detailed ophthalmologic examination with slit-lamp lens gradings (Lens Opacities Classification System [LOCS] II protocol). Mortality at follow-up was verified from Ministry of Health records.
Main outcome measures: Lens opacities were defined by a LOCS II score of 2 or more. Opacity types were classified in two ways: (1) single (cortical-only, nuclear-only, and posterior subcapsular-only) and mixed opacities; and (2) any cortical, any nuclear, or any posterior subcapsular opacities. Information on dates and causes of death was obtained from death certificates.
Results: Cardiovascular disease was the principal cause of death in black participants (3.6%), followed by malignant neoplasms (1.4%). The cumulative 4-year mortality varied with lens types, increasing from 3.2% for those without cataract to 6.0% for cortical-only, 8.8% for nuclear-only, and 20.9% for mixed opacities. Persons with mixed opacities had a 1.6-fold increase in mortality, while controlling for other factors (age, male gender, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cigarette smoking, cardiovascular disease, and family history of diabetes) in Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses. Persons with any nuclear opacities also had increased mortality (death rate ratio, 1.5). The death rate ratios increased with age, but peaked at age 60 to 69 years. Coexisting diabetes further increased mortality: people with mixed opacities and diabetes had a 2.7-fold increased risk of death. A trend toward increased mortality from neoplasms was observed for individuals with mixed opacities or with any nuclear opacities.
Conclusions: Participants with mixed opacities or any nuclear opacities had increased 4-year mortality rates, with diabetes acting as an effect modifier. This study is the first to identify a relationship between type of cataract and mortality in an African-descent population.