Some medical conditions rely on steroids for treatment and cure. It ranges from simple allergies, asthma, bells palsy and even cancer. But its use may pose some risks if not administered properly or without a professional advice. Recently, the Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, Australia conducted a research on how the steroid use in asthma patients could relate to patients developing cataracts.

Cataracts which are characterized by the clouding of the lens of the eyes can lead to reduced vision and may also lead to blindness if left untreated. This condition develops slowly over years. The incidence of patients with cataract around the world is increasing especially those people at the age of 60 and up.

The use of oral and inhaled steroids is becoming popular among asthma patients as well as those people suffering from COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There are 3,645 Australians who took part in the study which was also supported by the Blue Mountains Eye Study. The respondents are in the age of 49 years old or older. Since the study requires a longer time frame, the examinations were conducted after 5 and 10 years after the baseline or initial examinations. The initial tests were conducted in 1992 and another one in 1994. They used a longer timeframe to determine the long-term impact of steroids on cataract patients.

The results suggest that the combined steroid use should be administered with caution. Controlled dosage of oral and inhaled steroids may decrease cataract risk for asthma patients while too much prescription of steroids can pose a higher risk to cataracts. According to the lead researcher, Jie Jin Wang, MMed, PhD, of the Centre for Vision Research, the findings could mean that combined steroid use, when it results in high cumulative dosage over relatively long periods, increases risks for two types of cataract.

“When clinicians prescribe both steroid forms, the cumulative, combined dose should be considered. Also, recent clinical trials indicate that combined steroids are not more effective than inhaled steroids alone in treating asthma,” said Wang. Although these findings were not yet conclusive and further investigation and research were suggested to determine whether asthma plays a role in nuclear cataract development.

The Medical News Today enumerated some of the findings of the group. “Elevated cataract risks were found only in patients who, at the time of their baseline exams, had ever used inhaled steroids, had also used oral steroids for at least one month, and had no cataracts. Patients at highest risk for two types of cataract were those defined at baseline as “current users” of both steroid forms; although this was a small group, follow up exams found that nearly all of them developed cataracts. Of seven current user patients, five had used either steroid form for more than five years, and four of the five developed posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). Three additional current user patients developed nuclear cataracts. In nuclear cataracts the center of the lens is obscured, and in PSC the cataract develops in the rear area of the lens. Earlier research had established a higher risk for PSC in oral steroids users.” Further details of this study can be found on the American Academy of Opthalmology.

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