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Cataract surgery may decrease mortality risk in women
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Cataract surgery in women was associated with a significantly lower risk for total and cause-specific mortality, according to a study.
A total of 74,044 women in the Women’s Health Initiative were diagnosed with cataract at age 65 or older; of these women, 41,735 underwent cataract surgery. The researchers looked at outcomes including all-cause mortality and mortality attributed to vascular, cancer, accidental, neurologic, pulmonary and infectious causes in the prospective study.
Covariate-adjusted Cox models found women who underwent cataract surgery had lower all-cause mortality and lower mortality specific to vascular, cancer, accidental, neurologic, pulmonary and infectious diseases, the researchers wrote in the study.
The women in the initiative who underwent cataract surgery were also at a lower risk for all-cause mortality and cause-specific deaths for every type of death in both unadjusted and adjusted models.
“While interesting questions have been raised for further study, from a practical perspective, their findings indicate the importance of access — including adequate health insurance coverage — to cataract surgery for older women. As women live longer and the age to retirement increases, this conclusion becomes increasingly relevant,” Justine R. Smith, FRANZCO, PhD, wrote in an associated commentary.
Further studies are needed to determine the relationship between cataract surgery and disease-related mortality, the researchers wrote. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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