A new study has found cataract surgery does not cause non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to progress to neovascular AMD.

The new retrospective cohort study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology,1 matched 122,000 people aged 60 years or older who had undergone cataract surgery with the same number of people who had not. The incidence of nAMD was less than 1% in both groups across two years.

Previous studies suggested cataract removal may accelerate AMD by exposing the retina to more blue and ultraviolet light.

“While some ophthalmologists may hesitate to recommend surgery to patients with advanced AMD due to concerns about disease progression but limited visual gains, we found those concerns may be unwarranted,” the researchers wrote.2

References available at mivision.com.au.