This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (89)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Ophthalmology  • Cataracts/ Lens  • Aging/ Geriatrics  • Alert me on articles by topic

The Salisbury Eye Evaluation Project

Sheila K. West, PhD; Donald D. Duncan, PhD; Beatriz Muñoz, MSc; Gary S. Rubin, PhD; Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH; Karen Bandeen-Roche, PhD; Oliver D. Schein, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1998;280:714-718.

Context.— Exposure to UV-B radiation in sunlight has been shown to increase the risk of cataract formation in high-risk occupational groups, but risk to the population has not been quantified.

Objectives.— To determine the ocular exposure to UV-B radiation in sunlight for a population of older persons and to determine the association between UV-B and lens opacities.

Design.— The Salisbury Eye Evaluation project, a population-based cohort of older adults.

Setting.— Salisbury, Md.

Participants.— A total of 2520 community-dwelling 65-year-old to 84-year- old adults in Salisbury, Md, from 1993 to 1995, of whom 26.4% were African Americans.

Main Outcome Measure.— Association of photographically documented cortical opacity 3/16 or greater in at least 1 eye with ocular UV-B exposure, reported in Maryland sun-years of exposure.

Results.— The odds of cortical opacity increased with increasing ocular exposure to UV-B (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02- 1.20). The relationship was similar for women (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.00- 1.30) and for African Americans (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04-1.33). Analyses of the ocular dose by each age group after the age of 30 years showed no vulnerable age group, suggesting damage is based on cumulative exposure.

Conclusions.— Although this population of older Americans has relatively low ocular exposure to UV-B in sunlight, there is still an association between ocular exposure and increasing odds of cortical opacity. Our study found an association among African Americans, which, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. All sex and racial groups would benefit from simple methods to avoid ocular sun exposure.

From the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Racial Differences and Other Risk Factors for Incidence and Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Salisbury Eye Evaluation (SEE) Project
Chang et al.
IOVS 2008;49:2395-2402.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Withdrawal of Albuterol Inhalers Containing Chlorofluorocarbon Propellants
Hendeles et al.
NEJM 2007;356:1344-1351.
FULL TEXT  

Retrobulbar blood flow in patients with cataract
Grieshaber et al.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 2006;90:1512-1515.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Driving Status and Risk of Entry Into Long-Term Care in Older Adults
Freeman et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2006;96:1254-1259.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Model of Risk of Cortical Cataract in the US Population with Exposure to Increased Ultraviolet Radiation due to Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
West et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2005;162:1080-1088.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Risk Factors for Incident Cortical and Posterior Subcapsular Lens Opacities in the Barbados Eye Studies
Hennis et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2004;122:525-530.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Importance of Vitreous Liquefaction in Age-Related Cataract
Harocopos et al.
IOVS 2004;45:77-85.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Localization of Cortical Cataract in Subjects of Diverse Races and Latitude
Sasaki et al.
IOVS 2003;44:4210-4214.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ocular Measurements throughout the Adult Life Span of Rhesus Monkeys
Fernandes et al.
IOVS 2003;44:2373-2380.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Impact of Age and Sex in Ultraviolet Radiation Cataract in the Rat
Lofgren et al.
IOVS 2003;44:1629-1633.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Cataract: Age and Maximum Acceptable Dose
Dong et al.
IOVS 2003;44:1150-1154.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Myopia and Incident Cataract and Cataract Surgery: The Blue Mountains Eye Study
Younan et al.
IOVS 2002;43:3625-3632.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Relation of ocular trauma to cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts: the Beaver Dam Eye Study
Wong et al.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 2002;86:152-155.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prevalence of the Different Types of Age-Related Cataract in an African Population
Congdon et al.
IOVS 2001;42:2478-2482.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Light Exposure and the Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Pathologies Oculaires Liees a l'Age (POLA) Study
Delcourt et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2001;119:1463-1468.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Lens Lactate Dehydrogenase Inactivation after UV-B Irradiation: An In Vivo Measure of UVR-B Penetration
Lofgren and Soderberg
IOVS 2001;42:1833-1836.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prevention strategies for age related cataract: present limitations and future possibilities
Congdon
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 2001;85:516-520.
FULL TEXT  

The Heritability of Age-Related Cortical Cataract: The Twin Eye Study
Hammond et al.
IOVS 2001;42:601-605.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Light Exposure and the Risk of Cortical, Nuclear, and Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts: The Pathologies Oculaires Liees a l'Age (POLA) Study
Delcourt et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2000;118:385-392.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cataract: how much surgery do we have to do?
TAYLOR
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 2000;84:1-2.
FULL TEXT  

Are we really dying for a tan?
Ness et al.
BMJ 1999;319:114-116.
FULL TEXT  

Sunlight Exposure and Cataract
Dillon et al.
JAMA 1999;281:229-230.
FULL TEXT  

Sunlight Exposure and Risk of Lens Opacities in a Population-Based Study
Cruickshanks
Arch Ophthalmol 1998;116:1666-1666.
FULL TEXT  

Sunlight Exposure Increases Cataract Risk
Journal Watch Dermatology 1998;1998:13-13.
FULL TEXT  

Sunlight Exposure Increases Cataract Risk
JWatch General 1998;1998:1-1.
FULL TEXT