Evaluation of the etiology of cataract in a referral hospital in Tehran, Iran

To evaluate the etiology of cataract and prevalence and correlation of risk factors with various types of cataract. Among the patients who underwent cataract surgery in Labafinejad Hospital in 2004, 400 patients were chosen by a systemic sampling method. Information were collected from the patient's records and recorded in a check list. Senile and congenital types of cataract were the most prevalent in the sample. There was a correlation between age, mean age, sex, type of involvement and type of cataract. Among systemic diseases, hypertension was the most common (35.5%), followed by diabetes mellitus (22%). In slit lamp examination, of congenital cases, the most common opacity was lamellar type and in other types of cataract, mixed opacity was the most common type. In this study the proportion of male cases was greater than that reported in other studies. Meanwhile, 65.5% of the patients were under the age of 70, which shows the need for evaluation of the relatively low age of onset in Iran.