15 February 2022
Researchers have examined the relationship between cataract surgery and an individual’s risk of developing dementia.
The study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, involved analysing data from more than 3000 people aged 65 or older who were free from dementia at the outset of a longitudinal study.
All 3038 participants received a diagnosis of cataract or glaucoma before enrolment in the study or during follow up appointments.
Cataract extraction was associated with a 29% reduction in the risk of developing dementia. Glaucoma surgery did not have a significant association with dementia risk.
The authors highlighted that further studies are warranted exploring the mechanisms that result in cataract extraction affecting dementia risk.
“These results have implications for the care of older persons who are uniquely at higher risk for both impaired vision due to cataract and impaired cognition due to neurodegeneration observed in age-related dementia,” the authors highlighted.
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Frank Eperjesi19 February 2022
It's been known for a while that people with good visual acuity are less likely to develop dementia or if they do it is less marked than in similar people with poor visual acuity. Removing a cataract improves visual acuity so the results of this study are no surprise to me at least. The interesting question is why does having good visual acuity prevent dementia in some people. There must be a link between a sharp image on the retina and a reduction in the plaques that characterise many forms of dementia. Or is it that seeing well means being able to read and do other activities of daily living and it is these activities that reduce or prevent plaque formation. Whatever the cause, as the group that has responsibility for providing people with the best visual acuity, we have an important role to play in dementia prevention.
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