Study Of Electrolytes In Cataract Patients

Background and Objectives: Cataract is one of the age related eye disorder due to opacity of lens
and accounts for 50 million blind people around the world. A number of factors are pre-requisite in
the development of cataract formation and one of the key factors being concentration of serum
electrolytes which directly affects the concentration of electrolytes in aqueous humor. Hence, this
study aims at assessing the serum electrolyte levels in cataract patients. Material and Methods: The
present study was a case control study and included30 cataract patients and 30 healthy controls which
are age and sex matched. Blood samples were drawn to estimate serum electrolyte levels in cases and
controls. Relevant statistical analysis was applied to analyze the data. Results: Mean sodium levels in
cases were 141.6 ± 2.9 mEq/l and in controls were 139.5 ± 1.9 mEq/l. Similarly Mean potassium
levels in cases were 4.5 ± 0.4 mEq/l and in controls were 4.1 ± 0.3 mEq/l. There was significant
difference in sodium and potassium levels between two groups. Conclusion: Though the study group
was small serum sodium and potassium levels were increased in cataract patients when compared with
healthy controls which are comparable to the studies done on a larger population. This suggests that
diets with high content of sodium and potassium might act as a risk factor for the development of age
related cataract.