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THURSDAY, June 28, 2018 – Data on more than half a million older Canadians show that rates of traffic accidents decrease after cataract surgery.
The effect was relatively modest – a decline of 9%. – but suggest that "improvements in the visual function of cataract surgery are badociated with reduced risk of driving," according to a team led by Dr. Matthew Schlenker, of the Kensington Eye Institute of Toronto
. "The most common symptoms of cataracts are blurred vision, sensitivity to light, glare, darkness of vision, and difficulty seeing at night," noted Dr. Matthew Gorski . , an ophthalmologist at Northwell Health in Great Neck, NY
All of these symptoms "can seriously affect the safety of a patient while driving," said Gorski, who did not participate in the new study [19659003]. between 60 and 70 p. Number of Americans will develop a cataract – a disorder of the lens of the eye – during their lifetime. Surgery remains the only viable treatment and more than 3 million cataract surgeries are performed each year in the United States.
Do these procedures have an impact on the rates of road accidents among older drivers? To find out, the Canadian team examined the medical and driving records of over 559,000 Ontarians aged 65 and over between 2006 and 2016.
Researchers found that accident rates on average decreased by 9% the following year a cataract surgery compared to 3.5 years before the procedure. This reduction was more marked – a 14% drop – for drivers over 75 years old.
Notably, cataract surgery had no effect on road accidents where the patient was a pbadenger or pedestrian, only when he was
Overall, the l? Schlenker's team calculated that a serious road accident would be avoided for 5,000 cataract surgeries.
For his part, Gorski said that the study should remind older Americans: a change of vision for an eye exam with an ophthalmologist.This study reiterates the importance for all patients of over 40 years of having an annual routine eye exam. "
Dr. Mark Fromer is an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City." He said the new study shows that "the improved vision resulting from cataract surgery in the elderly is likely a significant reduction in the economic costs of society, injuries and deaths related to traffic accidents. "
28 in JAMA Ophthalmology
More information
There is more about cataracts at the American Academy of Ophthalmology
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