title: Cataract and aqueous flare levels in patients with atopic dermatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether cataract in patients with atopic dermatitis is associated with higher levels of aqueous flare or cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective study, 35 consecutive patients examined during a 6-month period at the atopic dermatitis service in a university hospital underwent standardized ophthalmologic evaluations including the quantitative measurement of aqueous flare and cells by a laser flare-cell meter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven patients had bilateral cataract with anterior or posterior subcapsular opacities, or both; one patient had similar cataract in one eye and no cataract in the opposite eye; and 27 patients had no cataract in either eye. Fifteen eyes with cataract showed significantly higher levels of aqueous flare (2.1 to 33.9 photon counts per millisecond with a median of 18.0) compared with 55 eyes without cataract (2.4 to 16.0 photon counts per millisecond with a median of 9.2; Mann-Whitney U test, P = .0008). The association of cataract with higher levels of aqueous flare remained significant when only one eye (the right eye) of each patient was chosen for statistical analysis (P = .0024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher levels of aqueous flare caused by the breakdown of blood-aqueous barrier may contribute to the formation of cataract in patients with atopic dermatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018916:Blood-Aqueous Barrier; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity