Can improved diet contribute to the prevention of cataract?

British adults who were disabled by defective vision were estimated to number 1.668 million in 1988. Cataract is a most important cause of disability and blindness. Cataract develops earlier in life in populations with low income and inferior education. Cataract was shown to be associated with riboflavin deficiency in animals in the 1930s and subsequently with deficiencies of amino acids, vitamins and some minerals. In Britain and the U.S.A. there is a substantial spread in the intake of these micronutrients, the antioxidants and B vitamins, which have been shown to have low intakes in patients at higher risk of cataract. But there is little reliable information on the comparative importance of different micronutrients in Britain and longitudinal surveys relating diet to progression of cataract are recommended, which should also include non-nutrient risk factors for cataract such as smoking, medication and industrial chemicals.