HEALTHY LIVING
LINK EXPLAINED The study was not designed to find out why cataract surgery resulted in lower dementia risk, but Lee believes the results highlight the eye-brain connection. “The eyes are really windows to
the brain. The eye develops from the brain during our fetal development, so whatever changes we see in the eye may reflect what is happening in the brain as well,” she says. Cataract removal increases the
quality of the brain’s sensory input and betters the quality of light that reaches the retina, including blue light. “Some special cells in the retina are
Cataract Surgery May Reduce Dementia Risk
It increases the quality of the brain’s sensory input. ::
BY CHARLOTTE LIBOV K
eeping your eyesight sharp confers obvious benefits as you age, including improved night
driving, clearer close-up vision, and the ability to send golf balls traveling straighter down the fairway. But there is also new evidence
that seeing clearly may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease as well. More than 6.2 million Americans
age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, and the number is expected to grow to nearly 13 million by 2050. That is why a new study revealing
that undergoing cataract surgery may cut the risk of developing all-cause dementia — including Alzheimer’s — by nearly a third is good news. “This is really exciting because
no other medical intervention has shown such a strong association with lessening dementia risk in older individuals,” says Cecilia S.
84 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MAY 2022
Lee, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Cataracts are not a disease; they
are a natural process that results in the lens of our eyes becoming cloudy with aging. In cataract surgery, that lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.
CATARACT STUDY In this study, researchers tracked 3,038 participants, approximately half (45%) who underwent cataract surgery, and the remainder who did not. Nobody had dementia at the start of the study, but 853 participants developed dementia during the follow-up period, with 709 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Those people who underwent
cataract surgery in either eye were about 30% less likely to develop any form of dementia for at least 10 years after their surgery, according to the study, which was published in December 2021 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
associated with cognition and regulate sleep cycles, and these cells respond well to blue light,” she says. “Cataracts specifically block blue
light, and cataract surgery could reactivate those cells.” This study is in line with others
that Lee has done, which showed links in risk between Alzheimer’s and age-related eye diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Here are Lee’s recommendations to
keep vision sharp as you age: Get your eyes checked annually by an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist. Unlike an optometrist, an ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who is trained and specializes in eye surgeries, and who can determine the need for cataract surgery and discuss the pros and cons. Be aware of your vision between checkups: Between exams, if you notice your vision has been slowly decreasing, or you are having night driving difficulties or seeing halos around bright lights, these may be signs a cataract is developing, and you should see your doctor sooner. Other warning signs include seeing double, increased nearsightedness, and distortion of vision in either eye. Eat a healthy diet and take a multivitamin daily.
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