Psoriasis Linked to Higher Cataract Risk, Especially With Certain Treatments
A large study finds that people with psoriasis face a 32% higher risk of developing cataracts and a 41% greater likelihood of needing cataract surgery. The risk varies by treatment: phototherapy increases it, while systemic therapies like biologics reduce it. These findings suggest treatment choices may influence long-term eye health in psoriasis patients.
A large retrospective cohort study published in The Journal of Dermatology on October 26, 2026, found that individuals with psoriasis face a 32% higher risk of developing cataracts and a 41% greater likelihood of requiring cataract surgery compared to those without the condition. The research, led by Yan-Jie Su from Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, analyzed data from 61,622 patients newly diagnosed with psoriasis and matched them with an equal number of nonpsoriasis controls based on age, sex, and index year. A nested case-control analysis further examined treatment associations, revealing that phototherapy—specifically psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB)—was linked to increased cataract risk, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.88 and 1.22, respectively. In contrast, systemic therapies such as biologics and Janus kinase inhibitors were associated with reduced cataract risk (adjusted odds ratio of 0.49), as were conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (adjusted odds ratio of 0.74). These findings held across subgroups stratified by age, sex, and psoriatic arthritis status. The study’s authors emphasize that treatment choice may influence long-term eye health in psoriasis patients, though the mechanisms behind these associations remain unclear. What is not yet known includes whether the risk persists after discontinuation of phototherapy or how biologics might protect ocular health.
This finding could prompt dermatologists and ophthalmologists to reassess screening protocols for cataracts among psoriasis patients, particularly those undergoing phototherapy. Patients may face increased medical surveillance and potential delays in treatment decisions if eye health concerns rise, affecting quality of life and healthcare access. The pharmaceutical market may see shifts in prescribing patterns, with clinicians favoring systemic therapies over phototherapy where appropriate, though cost and availability could limit this shift in low-resource settings. A comparable precedent is the known link between long-term corticosteroid use and cataract formation, which led to revised guidelines for steroid administration. Here, the impact may be more nuanced, as phototherapy remains a widely used treatment despite its risks. What to watch for next includes longitudinal studies tracking cataract incidence post-treatment cessation and randomized trials comparing ocular outcomes acros