Pilots at higher risk of cataracts

Airline pilots are at higher risk of developing cataracts because of exposure to cosmic rays while flying. Researchers from the University of Iceland in Reykjavik studied 445 men aged 50 or older of whom 79 were pilots and 71 had cataracts. Cataracts cloud the eye's lens and cause blindness but can be removed surgically. The nuclear cataracts, are the commonest types, where the clouding begins in the centre of the lens and spreads. The pilots had triple the risk of developing cataracts as compared to the general population. The association between the cosmic radiation exposure of pilots and the risk of nuclear cataracts, adjusted for age, smoking status, and sunbathing habits, indicates that cosmic radiation may be a causative factor in nuclear cataracts among commercial airline pilots, according to the researchers. Smoking has also been found to raise the risk of cataracts. Astronauts have also been shown to have a higher risk of cataracts.