Does the Cataract Surgery Waiting Period Increase the Risk of Falls?

A new study shows that timely and equitable access to cataract surgery is needed to prevent injuries and promote healthy aging.

Older Australians with cataracts can wait for substantial periods for both first and second eye cataract surgery in the public hospital system, despite research showing that the second surgery is essential to reducing the incidence of falls.

This finding is according to a new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

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‘First eye surgery substantially improves vision in older people with cataracts, but second eye surgery is required to minimize fall incidence.’

The research analyzed data from people aged 65 years or more referred for bilateral age-related cataract surgery during 2013–16, for a maximum of 24 months after study entry or until six months after second eye surgery, whichever was shorter.

Cataract is a leading cause of vision impairment despite the effectiveness and availability of cataract surgery. Cataract-related vision impairment affects 2.7% of non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years or more. Major disparities in access to cataract surgery have been reported in Australia and other high-income countries.

Risk of Falls Increases Between Cataract Surgeries

“Age- and sex-adjusted fall incidence before surgery was 1.17 falls per year, 0.81 per year after first eye surgery, and 0.41 per year after second eye surgery,” reported Prof. Lisa Keay, Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales and colleagues.

For the 118 participants who underwent second eye surgery and participated in all follow-up visits, age- and sex-adjusted incidence before (0.80 falls per year) and after first eye surgery (0.81 falls per year) was similar but was lower after second eye surgery (0.32 falls per year).

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Mean habitual binocular visual acuity (logMAR) was 0.32 before surgery, 0.15 after first eye surgery, and 0.07 after second eye surgery.

This new study adds to the body of evidence supporting investment in timely access to cataract surgery for older people, as it is cost-effective for improving vision and preventing falls.

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The wait for substantial periods for both first and second eye cataract surgery has been exacerbated by the deferral of elective surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 and particularly affects people who rely on the public hospital.

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Ideal cardiovascular health, which is indicative of a healthy lifestyle, lowered the odds for ocular diseases, like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and glaucoma. This shows that interventions to prevent cardiovascular diseases may also help in preventing ocular diseases.

Source-Medindia