All About Cataracts

People who have cataract surgery before age 65 appear to have a greater risk of clouding of the eye tissue directly behind the intraocular lens (IOL) that can lead to vision loss, according to a Swedish study.

The good news is that vision loss from this cataract surgery complication — called a posterior capsule opacity (PCO) — usually can be restored with a simple laser procedure called a ND:YAG laser capsulotomy.

Researchers at Norrlands University Hospital in Umea, Sweden, compared the vision of 116 patients who had cataract surgery prior to age 65 with the post-operative vision of patients age 65 and older at the time of surgery. Ten years after cataract surgery, 102 of the 116 people in the study group were given an eye exam and were asked to complete a questionnaire about their vision.

Analysis of the data revealed that within 10 years of cataract surgery, 37 percent of those younger than age 65 at the time of surgery experienced PCO and underwent a ND:YAG laser capsulotomy to restore their vision. In comparison, only 20 percent of those who were 65 or older at the time of cataract surgery required the laser procedure afterward.

The researchers concluded that more than one-third of patients in this study who were under age 65 at the time of cataract surgery subsequently developed a posterior capsule opacity that required a laser capsulotomy to restore vision.

Secondarily, the researchers said that 10 years after surgery, subjective visual function (measured with a questionnaire) and objective visual acuity (measured with an eye chart) remained stable in most patients who had cataract surgery when they are younger than age 65.

SOURCE: Ten-year longitudinal vision function and ND:YAG laser capsulotomy rates in patients less than 65 years at cataract surgery. American Journal of Ophthalmology. Published online November 18, 2009.