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• Posted October 22, 2024

Cataract Surgery Could Save Your Eyesight and Maybe Your Life

Cataract surgery could restore good vision to older people and by doing so cut their odds for potentially life-threatening falls, a new study finds.

Folks who got the surgery had significantly lower odds for bone fractures and brain hemorrhages linked to falling compared to people with cataracts who didn't get the operation, researchers report.

The benefits were even greater than expected, said study lead author Caitlin Hackl, a medical student researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

“The consistency of this association across multiple common age-related fragility fractures, even after controlling for osteoporosis, was surprising,” Hackl said.

Her team presented the findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago.

Hackl's team used a U.S. national database to track any history of falls among more than 2 million cataract surgery patients.

The patients were divided into two groups: Those who got a got a cataract surgery within 10 years of being diagnosed with cataracts, and those who did not.

The Texas researchers made sure that certain factors -- osteoporosis, diabetes, low vision, blindness and retinal disorders -- were similar between the two groups.

The data showed that rates of potentially life-threatening head injuries leading to bleeds were lower among those who underwent cataract surgery versus those who did not.

Folks who got the vision-restoring operation were 24% less likely to suffer an epidural hemorrhage (bleeding between the inside of the skull and the outer covering of the brain), which are typically linked to a fall, compared to people with cataracts who didn't undergo surgery, the researchers found.

People who got cataract surgery were also 12% less prone to traumatic subdural hemorrhages (bleeding near the brain that can happen after a head injury) compared to people who didn't get the surgery.

Rates of bone fractures also declined: People who underwent cataract surgery were between 5% to 11% less likely to fall and experience of fragility fractures of the wrist, arm or ankle, the data showed. These fractures typically occur after a fall.

According to Hackl, the findings should encourage folks considering a cataract operation to get one.

“We hope to shed light on the potential broader benefits of cataract surgery in reducing trauma-related morbidity [illness] and mortality, and empower patients to make informed choices about their care," Hackl said in a meeting news release.

Because these findings were presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Find out more about cataracts at the Mayo Clinic.

SOURCE: American Academy of Ophthalmology, news release, Oct. 19, 2024