Bad visual outcome linked to clinical signs of AMD at time of cataract surgery

Patients presenting with age-related macula degeneration (AMD) signs at cataract surgery have a longitudinally worse visual outcome compared to patients without AMD signs, states a study in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The longitudinal cohort study, led by Dr Eva Monestam, Department of Clinical Sciences and Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Norrlands University Hospital, Umeå University, Sweden, evaluated 810 patients.

Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and clinical eye examinations were performed before and after surgery and 5 and 10 years after surgery for eligible patients. All participants were split into functional groups determined by postoperative signs of AMD and CDVA.

In AMD patients the rate of CDVA decline with age was faster compared to patients without comorbidity. In groups where CDVA was almost normal or reduced the slope of the visual acuity decline was similar.

In patients with no comorbidity there was a mean loss of 2.3 logMAR letters and 6.4 letters in AMD patients for each decade of increasing age. Better CDVA was seen in 75% of AMD patients 10 years postoperatively.

As a result of this, the study authors recommend that AMD patients are not discouraged from undergoing cataract surgery.