Relationship of steroid dose to degree of posterior subcapsular cataracts in nephrotic syndrome.

Forty-five patients with nephrotic syndrome were included in our study. Of these, 30 received adrenocorticosteroid therapy and 15 did not. The ages of the patients ranged from 11 months to 27 years and the duration of steroid therapy from 2 1/2 years to 20 years. Seventeen patients (38%) showed posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) formation and, of these, seven patients (41%) showed reversal of PSC. There was no statistical correlation between the total dose of steroids and the degree of PSC. An individual susceptibility may be an important factor in the production of PSC. None of the patients had visual acuity less than 20/30.