American Journal of Ophthalmology AJO 02 91 R 1 revised Page 14
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Freeman, Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration
PVER study assessed AMD using a clinical exam while the other 2 studies assessed AMD with
photographs. We attempted to control for this by adjusting for study in the combined analyses.
Using three large, population-based studies, we found modest evidence that cataract
surgery may be associated with a greater prevalence of late AMD. However, we also saw that
having a severe cataract in the eye was associated with a slightly higher prevalence of late AMD.
Thus, it is difficult to determine from this type of study design whether the higher rates of late
AMD are due to the cataract surgery, the cataract itself, or to a shared risk factor. It would be
helpful if additional studies could clarify the nature of this relationship.
