24
Freeman, Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Table 5. Analysis of late AMD* associated with time since cataract surgery or presence of
severe cataract at clinical exam for SEE, BES.
Variable
SEE
n=4504 eyes
late AMD
OR 95% CI
BES
n=7363 eyes
late AMD
OR 95% CI
SEE and BES
n=11867
late AMD
OR 95% CI
Neither severe cataract nor surgery
Presence of severe cataract
**
Surgery < 5 years ago
Surgery >=5 years ago
1.0 reference
1.3 0.6-2.8
1.4 0.7-2.9
1.9 0.7-4.9
1.0 reference
2.1 0.3-17.8
1.8 0.4-7.5
3.5 0.8-15.0
1.0 reference
1.3 0.6-2.6
1.4 0.7-2.6
2.1 1.0-4.6
*Late AMD defined as choroidal neovascularization, geographic atrophy, or as a cause of blindness as
determined by photographs in SEE and BES.
Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, race, and study (SEE and BES combined). Generalized estimating
equations were used to estimate the standard errors in order to account for the correlation between eyes.
123 eyes missing data on time of cataract surgery. Sensitivity analyses showed that the association
disappears when all eyes missing date of cataract surgery are placed in surgery>=5 years ago ( SEE
results: OR=1.2, 95% CI 0.5-2.8) (Combined results: OR=1.5, 95% CI 0.8-2.6).
**Severe Cataract defined as grade 4 or higher on photographs in SEE and PVER, and by the clinical
determination of cataract as a cause of visual impairment or blindness in BES.
Abbreviations:
SEE: Salisbury Eye Evaluation, BES: Baltimore Eye Survey, OR: odds ratio,
CI: confidence
interval,
AMD: age-related macular degeneration
