Cataract surgery in both eyes ‘halves incidence of falls’
An Australian study clarifies the importance of overcoming wait times in public hospitals, eye specialists say
Falls incidence among older Australians with cataract may be halved for those who have operations on both eyes compared with single-eye surgery, a study suggests.
The findings underline the importance of timely second-eye surgery to optimise mobility and healthy ageing, the researchers say.
The team drew on data from 409 patients (mean age 75) participating in the Falls in Older people with Cataract (FOCUS) study, who had been referred for bilateral cataract surgery at public hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth between 2013 and 2016.
The participants (aged 65 and older, 54% women) were followed for six months after their second surgery or for two years after study recruitment, whichever was shorter.
