Cataract caution

Asthma sufferers who control their wheezing by inhaling corticosteroids could
be at an increased risk of developing cataracts, researchers at the University
of Sydney have found. A report inThe New England Journal of Medicine
(vol 337, p 8) claims that 14 per cent of people who use inhalers develop
cataracts, compared to 5 per cent in the rest of the population. However Robert
Cumming, who led the research team, stresses that cataracts are easy to treat,
while asthma can be fatal.