First eye cataract surgery and hospitalization from injuries due to a fall: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the association between first eye cataract surgery and hospitalization from injuries due to a fall in older adults at the population level.

DESIGN

Retrospective population-based study.

SETTING

Western Australian Hospital Morbidity Data System and Western Australian mortality data.

PARTICIPANTS

Six hundred individuals aged 60 and older hospitalized from injuries due to a fall between 2004 and 2008 in Western Australia.

MEASUREMENTS

Hospital admission from injuries due to a fall.

RESULTS

Of the 15,295 individuals who underwent cataract surgery in one eye only, 600 (3.9%) were involved in 625 hospital admissions from injuries due to a fall 1 year before (n = 273) or 1 year after (n = 352) first eye cataract surgery; 30% of these hospitalizations were for femoral neck fractures. Poisson generalized estimating equations confirmed 27% more (adjusted risk ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.56 P = .02) hospitalizations from injuries due to a fall in the year after first eye cataract surgery than in the year before.

CONCLUSION

First eye cataract surgery was associated with more hospital admissions from injuries due to a fall in the year after cataract surgery than in the year before. Further research is needed to determine the underlying causes and reasons.