The 38 subjects all had mild dementia and an average age of 85. They had advanced cataract in at least one eye and underwent a cataract removal operation that included implantation of artificial intraocular lenses. All but one of the patients experienced dramatic vision improvement at both near and far distances.

The ability to notice, understand and respond appropriately to their environments improved in 25 percent of the patients; also, many experienced relief from depression. Most of the patients showed improvement in sleep patterns and nighttime behavioral issues.

Brigitte Girard, MD, the lead researcher of the study, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in late October.

To answer this question, researchers at the Mayo Clinic checked the records of all residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who had undergone cataract extraction from Jan. 1, 1980 through May 31, 2009. In the 14,471 cataract cases studied, 16 cases of late posterior chamber IOL dislocation were identified.

The researchers calculated that at five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years after cataract surgery, the cumulative risk of IOL dislocation was low, at 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.7%, and 1.7%, respectively. And the risk did not change much over the three-decade study period.

They also found that pseudoexfoliation and zonular laxity at surgery were significantly correlated with late IOL dislocation. (Pseudoexfoliation involves fluffy material appearing on the lens capsule; it can weaken the zonules, which are fibers that hold in place the chamber containing the cataract and later the intraocular lens. This weakness is called zonular laxity.)

The study report was published online in the American Journal of Ophthalmology on June 17.

Eating a diet high in vegetables may lower the risk for cataracts.

The researchers followed 27,600 non-diabetics age 40 and older for a period as long as 15 years. At the end of the study, about three in 50 meat eaters had cataracts, versus about two in 50 vegans and vegetarians.

Moderate meat eaters had a slightly lower cataract risk than that of the heaviest meat eaters, who ate more than 3.5 ounces of meat each day. Fish eaters had a 15 percent lower cataract risk than that of the heaviest meat eaters.

The results do not prove that meat consumption promotes cataracts, according to the researchers. Rather, vegetables may have protective nutrients that lower cataract risk, as suggested by other studies. In addition, vegetarians may practice other healthy lifestyle behaviors that can contribute to a lower risk for cataracts.

The study was reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

To date, the system has been used in more than 500 eyes outside of the United States. The first U.S. surgeon to use the system, Louis “Skip” Nichamin, MD, stated the process was “considerably more proficient and seamless” than conventional processes. With FDA clearance, the technology is a step closer to commercialization, according to the company.

High blood pressure is associated with three cataract types, says study.

The researchers examined the association with three cataract types: nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular (PSC). They found that high blood pressure was linked to all three cataract types, and diabetes was associated with cortical and PSC cataracts.

Cortical cataracts were linked to high BMI, diabetes, high blood pressure and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Study participants with both diabetes and high blood pressure had a four times greater cataract risk.

The study was reported in January on the website for Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Crystalens currently is the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens. The lens provides sharper vision at multiple distances in addition to removing the cataract.

The company stated that the rebate program has been a success because it makes Crystalens a more accessible option for baby boomers. The rebate is available to patients regardless of physician, hospital or surgical center.

More information about Crystalens and the “See Better and Save” rebate program can be found at Crystalens.com.

Cataract surgery may improve safety on the road and reduce the risk of auto crashes.

A total of 27,827 patients age 60 and older who had cataract surgery between 1997 and 2006 were included in the study.

Data from the Western Australian Road Injury Database was obtained for all patients in the study to identify those who had been involved in a motor vehicle accident up to 12 months prior to and 12 months following their cataract surgery.

“We found cataract surgery reduced the frequency of all crashes by 12.6 percent,” Dr. Ng said in a press release issued by the AAO. The study also revealed that a majority of patients involved in automobile accidents were males between the ages of 70 and 79 who lived in metropolitan areas.

The study authors noted that in Australia and other countries, patients often have to wait weeks or months after cataracts are diagnosed to undergo cataract surgery. This study suggests that significant delays in obtaining cataract surgery affect not only the patients’ quality of life, but individual and public safety as well, they say.

The authors also say that additional research is needed to compare auto accident rates before and after cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation on the patients’ second eye.

The Bausch & Lomb Crystalens intraocular lens.

The company made the official announcement of the rebate program during the 2010 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago.

Crystalens currently is the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens. Unlike standard IOLs implanted in cataract surgery, Crystalens is designed to give patients a more natural range of vision, reducing the need for glasses after surgery.

“Crystalens has changed the field of vision correction. The See Better and Save program is another step in our effort to bring quality vision correction to the dynamic market of baby boomers and aging seniors,” said Robert E. Grant, president and CEO of Bausch & Lomb Surgical.

Bausch & Lomb also recently launched a new website — CataractEducation.com — to educate the estimated 20 million aging American baby boomers and seniors who are currently living with cataracts. The website describes how cataracts are treated and discusses the importance of visiting an eye doctor regularly.

More information about Bausch & Lomb’s Crystalens accommodating IOLs can be found at Crystalens.com or by calling 1-877-7SEEBETTER.

Surgical outsourcing allows eye surgeons to provide modern cataract surgery at small rural hospitals.

Cataract surgeon Jamie M. Monroe, MD, has found a solution: surgical outsourcing. For the past eight years, Dr. Monroe, who is surgical director and owner of Cataract & LASIK Center of Utah in Orem, Utah, has been using the services of a surgical outsourcing company called Sightpath Medical to help her provide state-of-the-art cataract surgery in small rural hospitals.

In the October 1, 2010 issue of Ophthalmology Times, Dr. Monroe describes how the outsourcing company allows her to choose her preferred surgical equipment, instruments, supplies and intraocular lenses (IOLs), and the company brings it all to the rural hospital on designated days. The hospital pays for the outsourcing services on a per-case basis without having to make a large capital investment in its own cataract surgery equipment.

The outsourcing service also provides certified technicians and surgical staff to assist the cataract surgeon during the procedures.

Dr. Monroe co-manages the pre-operative and post-operative care of her remote cataract patients with their local optometrist.

According to Dr. Monroe, she now performs cataract surgery at rural hospitals ranging from 100 to 300 miles from Orem, and patients are extremely appreciative to have access to high quality cataract surgery close to home with no need for extensive travel.

Researchers at the VA Medical Center and at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (both in Providence, Rhode Island) evaluated 45,082 patients in the National Patient Care Database who had significant cataracts and who underwent outpatient cataract surgery at VA hospitals between October 2005 and September 2007. Mean patient age was 71.8 years, 97.6 percent of patients were men and the postoperative follow-up period was 90 days.

The most frequent systemic health problems among the patients in the study were diabetes (40.6 percent), chronic pulmonary disease (21.2 percent), cancer (12.5 percent) and congestive heart failure (9.5 percent).

The study data revealed the mortality rate within 90 days after cataract surgery was 7.1 per 1,000 patients (0.7 percent).

Independent risk factors for mortality within the 90-day follow-up period were patient age of 80 years or greater, one or more hospitalizations within the past year, chronic pulmonary disease, cirrhosis, multiple myeloma, leukemia and metastatic solid tumor.

The study authors concluded the risk of mortality within 90 days after cataract surgery is low, even for high-risk patients such as the elderly and those with significant preoperative systemic diseases.

A full report of the study appears in this month’s issue of Ophthalmology.