Cataract Surgery Patient Found to Live Longer

Maintaining your eye health is a lifelong mission – and it’s more important than ever when you start to enter your golden years.  As we get older, our eyes become more susceptible to a number of diseases and conditions, including cataracts.  This is a condition that is commonly experienced during the aging process, as the lens of the eye becomes opaque and murky.  The eye lens is responsible for passing light and images to the optic nerve, which helps us make sense of the images we’re seeing.  When the lens becomes cloudy, it becomes difficult to see; thus, cataracts can have a detrimental impact on vision.

If left unchecked, cataracts can cause blindness – that’s why it’s so vital for patients to seek cataract surgery as soon as the condition is diagnosed.  It’s not just critical for restoring your vision; in fact, one study even suggests that cataract surgery can prolong your life.

Cataract Surgery: The Key to a Longer Life?

Cataract surgery is performed in order to correct the vision problems that are symptomatic of suffering from cataracts.  However, a new study from Australia suggests that patients who undergo cataract surgery may also be prolonging their lifespan more than cataract sufferers who do not undergo surgery.

The study compared people over 49 years of age who had cataract-related vision loss.  One group had cataract-related surgery, while the other group did not have cataract-related surgery.  At the conclusion of the study, researchers found that there is a 40 percent lower long-term mortality risk in the group of people who had undergone cataract surgery.  In order to verify the results of the study, researchers made adjustments for patients who suffered from high blood pressure, smoking, heart disease, mass index, and diabetes.

Researchers are unclear as to why the link between cataract surgery and a longer life exists, but there are many potential suggestions, including the following:

• Restoration of vision improves physical and mental well-being.
• Restoration of vision improves confidence in independent living within the older population.
• Restoration of vision lessens the possibility that an individual will suffer from an injury that results from having poor vision
• Restoration of vision promotes an active and healthy lifestyle, which is key to living a longer life.

Treat Cataracts at NewView Eye Center

If you suspect you have cataracts or need to undergo cataract surgery, make an appointment with Dr. Jacqueline Griffiths at NewView Eye Center in Reston, VA, serving Herndon, Fairfax County, and the greater Washington, D.C. area. Just leave us a message here or call 703-834-9777.