A new study finds that people with metabolic syndrome have a higher risk for cataracts. According to the study, metabolic syndrome is having at least three of the following: a high level of bad cholesterol; a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more; use of blood pressure medication or blood pressure of 130/85 or higher; and diabetes mellitus.
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.
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Bausch & Lomb announced today that the “See Better and Save” rebate program will now run through March 31, 2011, two months later than the previous deadline. Patients who have the Crystalens accommodating intraocular lens implanted before the deadline can be eligible for a $250 rebate per eye.
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.
In addition to improving vision and quality of life for seniors with cataracts, cataract surgery also appears to reduce the number of auto accidents involving older people, according to a new study.
Cataract surgery may improve safety on the road and reduce the risk of auto crashes.
At the 2010 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO), Jonathan Ng, MD, presented the results of a study of auto accident rates among Australians with cataracts in both eyes before and after
cataract surgery on their first eye.
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.
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Bausch & Lomb today announced a new program called “See Better and Save” that enables cataract patients who have the Crystalens intraocular lens (IOL) implanted between November 1, 2010, and January 31, 2011, to be eligible for a rebate of up to $250 per 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.
