Influence of cataract surgery on progression of lens opacities in the fellow eye.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether, in the Italian-American natural history study, cataract surgery in one eye influences the incidence/progression rate of lens opacities in the fellow eye.

DESIGN

Follow-up study of age-related cataract.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1399 participants with age-related cataracts were regularly followed for 5 years and cataract status evaluated by the Lens Opacities Classification System II on slit-lamp and retroillumination lens photographs. A total of 228 participants had cataract surgery in 1 eye during the study period, and 192 had sufficient follow-up visits to be included in the analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The incidence/progression of cataract was defined as two or more consecutive visits with a severity grade greater than the baseline grade.

RESULTS

When entered into a Cox model, incidence/progression of specific cataract types was not associated with cataract surgery on the fellow eye and was not significantly different from that observed in participants who had no cataract surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Cataract extraction does not influence incidence/progression rate of specific lens opacities in the fellow eye.