Eyeworld

N EWS PRESENTATION SPOTLIGHT by Stefanie Petrou Binder, MD EyeWorld Contributing Writer subjected to oxidative stress, for instance via ultraviolet radiation. In cataract, reactive oxygen species are increased, like hydrogen peroxide, whereas antioxidants like glutathione, a primary lenticular antioxidant, are decreased. Experi- mental animal studies and observational data suggest antioxidants might retard the develop- ment of cataract." Studying the effects of coffee The study included 40 patients (80 eyes) sched- uled for bilateral cataract surgery, with a gap of 1 week between surgeries. The patients were examined 1 week prior to surgery and asked to abstain from caffeine until the second eye surgery, encompassing 2 weeks of no caffeine. There were no statistically significant differenc- es among age, weight, and usual coffee con- sumption in the study patients. Patients drank an average of 1.6–2.3 cups of coffee/day. The mean patient age was between 72 and 78 years, and their weight was between 77 and 80 kilos. Shortly before the second cataract surgery, the patients were asked to consume coffee and T he more coffee you drink, the higher the concentration of antioxidants reaching the lens, according to re- searchers. New data indicates that drinking coffee before cataract surgery increases the caffeine levels in the lens capsule in a dose dependent manner. Based on the assertion that caffeine's antioxi- dant nature could have a positive effect on the prevention of cataract blindness, this finding may be the news coffee lovers have been wait- ing for. Speaking on the effects of caffeine on the eye during a free paper session at the 23rd European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Winter Meeting, Manuel Ruiss, MSc, presented study results that assessed caffeine concentrations in the eyes of patients who drank coffee just before cataract surgery. 1 He worked on the study with his supervisor, Martin Kronschläger, MD. "Cataract is still the leading cause of blind- ness across the globe, with no approved drug to prevent the disease," Mr. Ruiss said in his presentation. "The crystalline lens is constantly Good news about caffeine and cataract About the doctor Manuel Ruiss, MSc Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery Hanusch Hospital Vienna, Austria References 1. Kronschläger M, et al. Pharma- cokinetics of caffeine in the lens capsule/epithelium after peroral intake: a pilot randomized con- trolled study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:1855–1860. 2. Devasagayam TP, et al. Caf- feine as an antioxidant: inhibition of lipid peroxidation induced by reactive oxygen species. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1996;1282:63–70. 3. Kronschläger M, et al. Caffeine eye drops protect against UV-B cataract. Exp Eye Res. 2013;113:26–31. 4. Varma SD. Effect of coffee (caffeine) against human cataract blindness. Clin Ophthalmol. 2016;10:213–20. 5. Rautiainen S, et al. Total antioxidant capacity of the diet and risk of age-related cataract: a population-based prospective co- hort of women. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2014;132:247–52. Relevant financial interests Ruiss: None continued on page 26 24 | EYEWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2019

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