Reducing lead exposure may help prevent cataract, according to a new report from the Normative Aging Study in Boston. Of 795 older men for whom bone lead levels were measured, those in the highest quintile for lead accumulation (measured in the tibia) had more than three times the risk of cataracts, compared with those in the lowest quintile (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 1.48-6.90).

Schaumberg DA, Mendes F, Balaram M, Dana MR, Sparrow D, Hu H. Accumulated lead exposure and risk of age-related cataract in men. JAMA 2004;292:2750-2754.

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