People with cataract related vision loss who have had
cataract surgery to improve their sight are living longer than those with
visual impairment who chose not to have the procedure, according to research
published in Ophthalmology, the journal of
the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In fact, the researchers found a 40 percent lower long-term
mortality risk in those who had the cataract surgery.
This
research is from data gathered in the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a
population-based study of vision and common eye diseases in an older Australian
population. Adjustments were made for age and gender as well as a number of
mortality risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, smoking,
cardiovascular disease, body mass index and measures of frailty and other
disease. Follow-up visits took place after five and ten years since the
baseline exam.
Previous
research had indicated that older persons with visual impairment were likely to
have greater mortality risk than their age peers with normal vision, and that
cataract surgery might reduce this risk. These studies – unlike the Blue
Mountains Eye Study – compared people who had undergone cataract surgery with
those in the general population or with those who had not had cataract surgery,
and did not link vision status to the surgical status.
The association between correction of
cataract-related visual impairment and reduced mortality risk is not clearly
understood, but plausible factors may include improvements in physical and
emotional well-being, optimism, greater confidence associated with independent
living after vision improvement, as well as greater ability to comply with
prescription medications.
A cataract is a leading
cause of treatable visual impairment that will affect more than half of
all Americans by the time they are 80 years old. Cataract surgery to remove the
opaque lens and replace it with an artificial lens implant is one of the most
common surgeries performed in the U.S. today and is regarded as a very
successful procedure of cataract treatment.
If
cataracts have made completing everyday tasks difficult, if you are having
difficulty with night driving or feel your are not quite as mobile as you would
like-cataract surgery should be discussed with Drs. Hofeldt, Kelly or Johnson
to help determine the best course of action.
If you or someone you know has questions cataracts,
cataract surgery or lens implants, please feel free to call Center for Sight at
508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.
Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
