Risk Factors for Cataracts in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

<b>Background:</b> Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most impactful health problems worldwide. It affects ocular health in multiple ways and is one of the leading causes of vision loss. Our study aimed to evaluate the most important systemic risk factors related to the occurrence of cataracts in patients with DM. <b>Method:</b> This study evaluated a final number of 319 participants who were previously diagnosed with DM. For all patients, we retrieved data regarding DM status, metabolic control, demographic and anthropometric indices, and generally associated comorbidities from their medical charts. A comprehensive eye examination was performed on all patients. <b>Results:</b> The main studied risk factors were hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis, which were present among the entire population. Hypertension (67.6%), DPN (53.3%), and dyslipidemia (46.6%) were highly prevalent in the cataract subgroup, and CKD (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and DPN (<i>p</i> = 0.019) were found to be predictive factors for the probability of cataract occurrence. Ophthalmologic evaluation was used to assess the presence of ocular complications, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic maculopathy. DR reached statistically significant values in the occurence of cataracts. Patients' age and DM-related factors, such as disease duration (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and HbA1c values (<i>p</i> = 0.029), significantly increased the risk of cataracts. Smoking was self-reported by 24.8% of the patients, with a significant impact on the occurrence of cataracts (<i>p</i> = 0.04). <b>Conclusions:</b> Patients with DM who exhibit a longer disease duration and poor glycemic control in conjunction with systemic comorbidities present a higher risk of developing cataracts; consequently, a strict therapeutic approach regarding these risk factors is needed.