Cataract surgery can improve vision in AMD patients, age-related macular degeneration.

According to data collected from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS 2), AMD patients can still enjoy significant improvements in vision following cataract surgery.

Until recently, many cataract surgeons and retina specialists believed that the trauma of cataract surgery could accelerate and progress the effects of AMD, a degenerative eye disease that blurs the sharp, central vision. But according to researchers analyzing the data from the AREDS 2 study, if a cataract is present and requires surgery, cataract extraction surgery can be quite beneficial in AMD patients, regardless of its severity.

The study data showed outcomes of 1,232 eyes with AMD that had necessary cataract surgery performed. Those eyes with moderate AMD gained 11.1 letters on the eye chart after cataract surgery. Eyes with advanced AMD gained between 6.8 and 11.2 letters. Eyes with severe AMD (with advanced atrophy) gained about 8.8 letters on the eye chart, on average.

It is important to note that many of these AMD patients were being treated with anti-VEGF medications to control or slow its progression. Also, some patients were taking eye vitamins.

Regardless of how much vision is gained from cataract surgery, it is important to carefully follow up with these eyes after surgery. Though the cataract is gone, AMD is a progressive eye disease and can rob the vision quickly if allowed to leak and swell.

The realization that the benefits of cataract surgery outweigh the risks is welcome news to patients suffering from moderate to advanced AMD. With the central vision being poor due to macular degeneration, any improvement these patients can get has great value and benefits leading a quality life. Getting the most out of an eye suffering from AMD by removing the light-blocking cataract is now a viable, proven option.

Also see: Cataract surgery does not influence AMD