Visual acuity loss 2 years after cataract surgery

One in eight cataract surgical patients lost at least two lines of visual acuity within the first 2 years after their surgery. The Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study involved 1,936 patient who were age 65 years and older. Visual acuity data was available for 1,809 of the study participants at 1 month post-operative and for 1,294 of the patients at 2 years. The cataract surgery was performed between 2004 and 2007 and researchers evaluated both presenting and pinhole visual acuity as well utilized retinal photography. After 2 years, 71.9% of the patients maintained the visual acuity that they had at 1 month. 15.4% of participants actually had an improvement in their pinhole visual acuity while 12.7% recorded a reduction in visual acuity. Researchers noted that the strongest risk factor in reduction of vision after the surgery is the age of the patient and the presence of macular lesions.