Cataracts in Children on Long-Term Corticosteroid Therapy

Abstract

Introduction The relationship between long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy and the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC) has been reviewed by Straatsma.¹ From the available data, he concluded that "there is increasing evidence that PSC are a direct result of systemic corticosteroid therapy." There are additional reports which support this contention, but which disagree on the significance of dosage and duration of steroid administration.^2,3 Other investigators have been unable to show a conclusive relationship between the corticosteroids and PSC,^4-6 and still others have presented evidence that such a relationship is unlikely.^7-9 It appears that the issue is not settled; however this is not surprising when one considers the many variables involved. Differences in age, sex, systemic disease, duration of disease, duration of therapy, and dosage schedules, as well as concomitant long-term therapy with other drugs, make statistical analysis difficult. Furthermore, adequate controls are difficult to obtain for