Influence of corticosteroids and vitamin E deficiency on onset of radiation-induced cataract

Radiation, at the applied dose, was the predominant risk factor for early cataract onset. However, corticosteroids accelerate cataract formation. The surprising protective influence of Vitamin E deficiency may be the result of a stathmokinetic effect on mitosis - a possibility that is supported by lens epithelial histopathology in the regions of cell mitosis and differentiation.