Early age-related maculopathy in eyes after cataract surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To assess age-related maculopathy (ARM) in eyes of patients who had undergone cataract surgery for at least a year.


METHODS
Consecutive patients aged 60+ years who had undergone cataract surgery at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia, during 2001-2003 were examined in 2004. Interview using standardized questionnaires and stereo retinal photography was performed. Retinal photographs were graded using the Wisconsin ARM grading system. The proportions with ARM were compared between surgical and nonsurgical eyes, and between this surgical cohort and the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) population.


RESULTS
Of the 622 eligible patients, 454 (73%) were re-examined, with a mean follow-period of 2.8 years. Surgical eyes had a higher proportion of early ARM compared to nonsurgical eyes (15.2 vs10.3%, P=0.07) and to the early ARM prevalence found in BMES participants of similar age (14.5 vs6.9%, P<0.01), which persisted after age standardization to the BMES population (9.7 vs6.9%, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
We found an increased prevalence of early ARM in surgical eyes of patients 1-3 years after cataract surgery. Whether this increased early ARM prevalence leads to an increased prevalence of late ARM in the long-term warrants further investigation.
Pham
T Q
TQ
Department of Ophthalmology (Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute), Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
Cugati
S
S
Rochtchina
E
E
Mitchell
P
P
Maloof
A
A
Wang
J J
JJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology