Age-related cataract and place of birth

Cataract patient data from 13 Australian practitioners were analysed in order to compare the distribution of seven principal types of cataract in relation to gender, age and place of birth. Relative odds ratios were calculated for age-matched pairs of three identifiable ethnic groups and each type of cataract. The number of statistically significant relative odds ratios far exceeds the expectation due to chance. The results suggest a relatively greater risk for cortical cataract amongst younger when compared with older groups. In contrast, the relative odds ratios for nuclear cataract, independently of age, were consistently greater than unity when Australians or Northern Europeans were compared with Southern Europeans. There was no gender-based difference in cataract type distribution.