People with cataract-related vision loss who have had surgery to improve their sight live longer than those with visual impairment who chose not to have the procedure, according to an Australian study in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Blue Mountains Eye Study researchers compared two groups and found a 40 per cent lower long-term mortality risk in those who had surgery.
A total of 354 people aged 49 years and older and diagnosed with cataract-related vision impairment were assessed over a 15-year period between 1992 and 2007.
‘Our finding complements the previously documented associations between visual impairment and increased mortality among older persons,’ said lead researcher Jie Jin Wang of the Westmead Millennium Institute.
‘It suggests to ophthalmologists that correcting cataract patients’ visual impairment in their daily practice results in improved outcomes beyond that of the eye and vision, and has important impacts on general health,’ added Wang.