Measures of obesity and age-related eye diseases

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare body mass index with waist-to-hip ratio as correlates of age-related eye disease. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants of the Beaver Dam Eye Study at 5-year follow-up examinations. METHODS: Body mass index was computed from weight and height, and waist-to-hip ratio was computed from measurements all done at the 5-year examination. Presence of ocular lesions was based on gradings of standard photographs of the retina and lens. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of early and late age-related maculopathy and nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataracts. RESULTS: In women, early age-related maculopathy was significantly associated with both body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. The relationship between waist-to-hip ratio and late age-related maculopathy was of borderline significance. When analyzed as continuous measures, waist-to-hip ratio was more strongly associated with nearly every outcome compared to body mass index. In men, there was little difference between body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio as correlates of age-related eye diseases. The reason for differences between men and women is not clear, but is unlikely to be due to current exposure to estrogen. CONCLUSIONS: In women in our analyses, waist-to-hip ratio is more strongly associated with age-related eye disease than is body mass index. When adiposity is considered as a risk factor itself, or as a confounder of risk factors for age-related ocular disease, waist-to-hip ratio may be the better measure to use in women.