Cataract Phacoemulsification in People with Dementia: Characterization and Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To characterize cataract surgery in people with dementia (PWD) using a cataract surgery outcomes database.

Methods

Demographics, medical and ocular history, surgical characteristics, and postoperative measures were analyzed for differences between PWD and non-PWD cohorts. Patient-level data were analyzed with Fisher’s Exact Test, and eye-level data were analyzed with logistic regression using generalized estimating equations to account for correlation of eyes from the same individual.

Results

507 eyes from 296 PWD were identified using appropriate ICD codes and cross-referenced to a cataract surgery outcomes database containing 12,949 eyes from 7,853 patients who underwent cataract phacoemulsification at a single center between January 2014 and October 2019. PWD were older (p < .001), had shorter duration cataract surgeries (p = .006), and were more likely to have mature cataract (p = .017). The rate of general anesthesia was higher in PWD (p = .005). There were no differences in complication rates between PWD and non-PWD cohorts. Both preoperative best corrected LogMAR distance visual acuity (CDVA) (p < .001) and postoperative CDVA (p < .001) were worse in PWD. CDVA significantly improved in both groups (p < .001); however, the average magnitude of improvement in CDVA was not significantly different between groups (p = .169).

Conclusions

PWD present for cataract surgery at a later age and were more likely to have mature cataracts and general anesthesia, but did not have higher rates of complication, and showed significant improvement in CDVA following surgery. These findings should be encouraging to PWD undergoing counseling for cataract surgery, and for the potential for improved function in PWD.

KEYWORDS:

• Cataract
• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s Disease

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Financial support

Research supported in this publication was supported by Research to Prevent Blindness grant to the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado

Meeting presentation

Presented in part at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2022 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, May 1–4, 2022. This submission has not otherwise been published anywhere and it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

Address for reprints

Please send to the Corresponding Author.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2023.2279113

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.