Corrected distance vision improves up to 10 years after cataract surgery in AMD patients

Patients with concurrent cataract and age-related macular degeneration had worse visual outcomes at 10 years after cataract surgery than those without AMD, a large study found.
“However, there is no reason to discourage patients with concurrent visually significant cataract and AMD from having surgery because most AMD patients had better [corrected distance visual acuity] 10 years after surgery than before surgery,” the study authors said.
The prospective longitudinal analysis included 810 patients who underwent phacoemulsification with IOL implantation.
Corrected distance visual acuity was evaluated preoperatively, 1 to 2 months after surgery, and 5 years and 10 years after surgery in eligible patients.
Patients were assigned to one of four groups based on postoperative corrected distance visual acuity and ocular comorbidity.
The first group comprised patients with corrected distance visual acuity of 20/25 or better and no AMD or other comorbidity. The second group comprised patients with AMD and corrected distance visual acuity worse than 20/25. The third group comprised patients with AMD and corrected distance visual acuity of 20/25 or better. The fourth group comprised patients with severe ocular comorbidities aside from AMD and corrected distance visual acuity worse than 20/25.
Study results showed that the second and third groups had significantly greater loss of corrected distance visual acuity than patients without comorbidity after 5 and 10 years (P = .002 and P < .000, respectively). However, corrected distance visual acuity improved in more than 75% of AMD patients 10 years after surgery.
Age-adjusted data showed a mean loss of 2.3 letters in patients with no comorbidity and 6.4 letters in patients with AMD at surgery for each decade of advancing age, the authors said.