The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between blood
lutein and
zeaxanthin concentration and the risk of age-related
cataract (
ARC). MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI and Cochrane Library were searched to identify relevant studies up to April 2013. Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled relative risks (RRs) for the highest-versus-lowest categories of blood
lutein and
zeaxanthin concentrations. One cohort study and seven cross-sectional studies were included in the meta-analysis. There were significant inverse associations between nuclear
cataract and blood
lutein and
zeaxanthin concentrations, with the pooled RRs ranging from 0.63 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.77) for
zeaxanthin to 0.73 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.87) for
lutein. A stronger association between nuclear
cataract and blood
zeaxanthin might be noted for the studies conducted in the European Nations. Blood
lutein and
zeaxanthin were also noted to lead towards a decrease in the risk of cortical
cataract and subcapsular
cataract; however, these pooled RRs were not statistically significant, with the exception of a marginal association between
lutein and subcapsular
cataract. Our results suggest that high blood
lutein and
zeaxanthin are significantly associated with a decrease in the risk of nuclear
cataract. However, no significant associations were found for
ARC in other regions of the lens.