Cataract surgery may improve visual acuity in wet AMD patients

Issue: November 10, 2015

Cataract surgery may help improve visual acuity in wet age-related macular degeneration patients who receive anti-VEGF injections, according to a study.

The retrospective cohort study included 77 consecutive wet AMD patients. Forty eyes underwent cataract surgery at the midpoint of the 1-year study, and 42 eyes did not undergo cataract surgery during the study window.

Three months before the midpoint, best corrected visual acuity was 20/89 in both groups. Three months after the midpoint, BCVA improved to 20/53 in the surgical group and 20/69 in the non-surgical group. The between-group change was statistically significant.

There was no difference in the number of injections before and after surgery in the surgical group. The number of injections decreased from 3.00 ± 1.45 injections before the midpoint to 2.57 ± 1.45 injections after the midpoint in the non-surgical group, with the difference approaching statistical significance.

There was no significant difference in initial central retinal thickness between the groups. Surgical eyes had a significantly greater final central retinal thickness of 265.4 ± 98.4 µm compared with 216.4 ± 58.3 µm in non-surgical eyes.

Thirteen surgical eyes had significantly more new or worse cysts after the midpoint compared with nine eyes in the non-surgical group.

“Cataract surgery leads to vision improvement and does not appear to contribute to worsening of wet AMD. However, anatomic changes based on OCT analysis suggest a subclinical susceptibility to postoperative cystoid macular edema or exacerbation of choroidal neovascularization,” the study authors said. – by Kristie L. Kahl

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

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Source:

Saraf SS, et al. Am J Ophthalmol. 2015;doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2015.06.006.