Moderate alcoholic beverage intake and early nuclear and cortical lens opacities

PURPOSE To study the relationship between alcoholic beverage intake and early lens opacities. METHODS 556 Boston-area women aged 53-74 years were sampled from the Nurses' Health Study cohort. Degree of opacity was assessed by eye examinations including lens photography. RESULTS After multivariate adjustment, the odds of a nuclear opacity grade greater than or equal to2.3 increased by 30% (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.10-1-54) per 10-g increase in total alcohol intake. Furthermore, after control for intake of other alcoholic beverages, the odds of a higher nuclear opacity grade increased by 13% (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.26) for every two additional hard-alcoholic drinks consumed per week, and by 17% (OR = 1.017, 95% CI: 1.03-1.33) for every two additional glasses of wine consumed per week. The odds of a cortical opacity grade greater than or equal to04 decreased by 12% (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79-0.98) for every two additional glasses of wine consumed per week, but intake of other alcoholic beverages was unrelated to cortical opacity. CONCLUSIONS Consumption of alcoholic beverages, particularly hard liquor and wine, was positively related to nuclear opacity. Wine drinking was inversely related to cortical opacity.