Plasma Homocysteine, Folate and Vitamin B(12) levels in senile cataract.

Elevated plasma Homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for age related (senile) cataract. Certain nutritional deficiencies, in particular Folate, Vitamin B(12), Vitamin B(6) relate inversely with Homocysteine level. This study was undertaken to evaluate the plasma level of Vitamin B(12), Folate, and Homocysteine of cataract patients and to study the interplay between them. Serum Homocysteine level is significantly increased in cataract patients when compared with control (p< 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the level of Folate as compared with control (p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between Homocysteine vs. Vitamin B(12) (p<0.01) and Folate (p<0.01) in the Cataract patients. Our findings suggest that increased plasma Homocysteine level is associated with decreased plasma levels of Folate and VitaminB(12) in Cataract patients, which might have a possible role in the root cause of cataract pathogenesis.