Clinical Relationship of Blood Vitamin-C Levels and Age Related Cataract

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Cataract is an extremely important and ground source of the curable blindness around the globe. Lenticular Vitamin C is actual important ultraviolet filter and antioxidant that decreases entry of the light rays into lens and therefore preventing the lens from oxidative damage. Keeping this in sight, higher intake of the vitamin c and by consuming the diet rich in vitamin c can prevent the age-related cataract. The motive of this study is to analyze if high vitamin C levels can lead to decrease in the percentage of cataract in patients.

Objective: To determine occurrence of the senile cataract among Vitamin C deficient subjects and compare mean vitamin C levels among senile cataract and controls.

Materials and Methods:  This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at The Department of Ophthalmology, PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences), Islamabad, Pakistan, after being accepted by Ethical review Committee. Individuals were selected, in the age range between 45 to 75 years of age from the patients who visited Eye OPD, PIMS, and Islamabad. All participants undergone detailed ophthalmic examination that included visual acuity assessment through the Snellen’s chart, anterior segment examination on the slit lamp. Blood vitamin C level was assessed in both cases and controls. Information was recorded in the designated Proforma and data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 version.

Results: We enrolled 100 patients 50 in each group. Average age of our individuals in our case set was 60.96±9.57 years and in control set remained 59.66±8.92 years. In study group 25(50.0%) remained male and 25(50.0%) remained female. similarly, in control group 19(38.0%) were male and 31(62.0%) were female. The mean value of level of serum vitamin C in study group was 0.55±0.06 mg/dl and average value of level of the serum vitamin C in control group was 0.87±0.07 mg/dl. There was significant difference as p value is less than level of implication (p < 0.05). In cataractous individuals the level of the serum vitamin C was low as compared to control set.

Conclusion: In this study, researchers determined that blood vitamin C may be a preventive component towards cataract development that is likely influenced by vitamin C consumption.