Wine can cut need for eye cataract surgery

Drinking alcohol in moderation cuts the risk of needing eye cataract surgery by up to a quarter, research suggests.

The study found that drinkers who consumed up to 14 units per week – the maximum recommended by the NHS – were less likely to have the operation to remove cloudy patches from the lens of the eye.

The most significant reduction in risk was linked to drinking wine rather than beer or spirits, with people who drank wine five or more times per week up to 23% less likely than non-drinkers to undergo cataract surgery.

However, people who drank a lot of beer, cider or spirits had no significantly reduced risk.

Fourteen units of alcohol per week is the equivalent of about six pints of averagestrength beer or 10 small glasses of lowstrength wine.

A 750ml bottle of red, white or rose wine (alcohol by volume 13.5%) contains 10 units.

The research by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology is the largest of its kind.

Experts compared how much people said they drank with patient records of cataract surgery, adjusting for factors such as age, weight and gender.

Writing in the journal Ophthalmology, they concluded: “Our findings suggest a lower risk of undergoing cataract surgery with low to moderate alcohol consumption. The association was particularly apparent with wine consumption.”

An estimated 30% of over-65s have cataracts that affect their vision in one or both eyes. Surgery involves replacing the lens with a clear plastic one.