Visual outcomes following cataract surgery in age-related macular degeneration patients

To evaluate visual acuity (VA) outcomes, prognostic factors, and changes in disease severity in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) undergoing cataract surgery.

Retrospective cohort study PARTICIPANTS: Patients with AMD or healthy control patients who underwent cataract surgery between 2012 and 2017.

Eyes were categorized into 3 AMD groups-intermediate AMD (iAMD), fovea-involving geographic atrophy (GA), neovascular AMD (nAMD)-and 3 preoperative VA-matched control groups (iAMDc), fovea-involving geographic atrophy control (GAc), neovaascular AMD control (nAMDc).

We compared 216 iAMD, 35 GA, and 184 nAMD eyes with 130, 31, and 129 controls. At postoperative month 12 (POM12), VA increased significantly in iAMD and nAMD (+10.1 ± 14.5 and +9.7 ± 18.9 letters, p < 0.001), but not in GA (p = 0.68). All control groups showed significant VA gains (iAMDc: +17.1 ± 9.7, GAc: +30 ± 12.9, and nAMDc: +26.4 ± 15.6 letters, p < 0.001). For AMD groups, POM12 VA and gain in VA were significantly lower than that of controls (p < 0.01), and better preoperative VA predicted smaller VA gains (p ≤ 0.007). Longer duration of AMD in iAMD, ellipsoid zone disruption in nAMD, and lower central subfield thickness in GA were associated with poorer VA outcomes (p < 0.05). Development of nAMD occurred in 8 iAMD eyes and was associated with longer duration of disease (p = 0.001). For nAMD eyes, injection frequency did not vary between the 12-month pre- and postoperative periods (p = 0.051).

Cataract surgery improves VA for patients with iAMD and nAMD, albeit not to the level of those without retinal pathology. Preoperative VA, AMD duration, and optical coherence tomography parameters may be important prognostic factors for cataract surgery in patients with AMD.