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Effect of Light Perception on Menarche in Blind Women 

Authors: Erin E. Flynn-Evans abc;  Richard G. Stevens d;  Homayoun Tabandeh e;  Eva S. Schernhammer f; Steven W. Lockley ab
Affiliations:   a Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
b Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
c Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
d Department of Community Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
e Retina-Vitreous Associates, Beverly Hills, California, USA
f Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
DOI: 10.1080/09286580902863056
Publication Frequency: 6 issues per year
Published in: journal Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Volume 16, Issue 4 August 2009 , pages 243 - 248
Subject: Ophthalmology;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
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Abstract

Purpose: The role of light on human reproductive development is unclear. Women with varying degrees of visual impairment appear to have altered reproductive function compared to sighted women. These differences have been attributed in part to differences in light exposure between the sighted and the blind. The present study was conducted to determine whether differences exist in reproductive measures among blind women with at least light perception (LP) compared to women with no perception of light (NPL). Methods: We studied 1,392 (LP, n = 968; NPL, n = 417; unreported, n = 7) blind women across North America between 2005 and 2007. Statistical analysis was conducted using Student's two-sample t tests and multivariate logistic or linear regression. Models were adjusted for current age, body mass index (BMI) and BMI at age 18. Results: NPL women reported an earlier menarche (mean age, 12.16, standard deviation ± 1.53) than LP women (mean age, 12.46, ± 1.57 yrs). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for each increasing year of menarche among NPL women compared to LP women, was 0.88 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.81-0.96). When those women NPL from birth were compared to all others, the adjusted odds ratio was strengthened (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-0.94). When we examined the association between age at onset of NPL and age at menarche, we found a significant positive association with earlier menarche being associated with an earlier age category of loss of light perception (test for trend p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lack of light perception affects reproductive development in women.
Keywords: Blindness; visual impairment; circadian; menarche; puberty; light
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