Seniors who elect to have cataract surgery have a reduced chance of fractured hips.
August 2, 2012- A new study that was published on August 1, reveals those patients who receive Medicare; are 65 and older; and had surgery for cataracts, had a lower risk factor of hip fracture 12 months after eye surgery compared to those who did not have cataract surgery.
The study shows that among elderly, visual impairment is linked strongly to an increased risk of different fractures. It is a considerable cause of both illness and death, said the report. The study says that vision plays an integral role in giving reference frame stability and postural balance. Changes in someone’s vision due to cataracts are the most common cause of fractures that are related to visual impairment.
Not many studies evaluate the impact that cataract surgery has on incidences of falling in adults who are visually impaired, even though the two factors are linked strongly through evidence. The study used a Medicare sampling of over 1.1 million beneficiaries who had cataracts. Some of the patients had surgery and did not have surgery between the years 2002 and 2009. Sixty percent of the people in the sample were women and eighty-eight percent where white.
The study found that 37% of the patients with cataracts received surgery during the period of the study. The fracture incident of all patients was 1.3%. The results of the study showed that surgery for cataracts resulted in a 16% lowering of risk of hip fractures one year after the surgery was completed.
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