The Association Between Cataract and Cognitive Functions in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

The association between cataracts and cognitive functions has been reported in several studies. However, the dynamic trajectories of cognitive changes in patients with cataracts remain unelucidated.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the dynamic trajectories of cognitive changes in patients with cataracts.

This observational cohort study recruited 1,146 patients with age-related cataracts (ARC) from the Department of Ophthalmology, Daping Hospital, from September 2020 to November 2021. The cognitive functions of the patients were assessed using a Chinese version of the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-40 (TICS-40) test at baseline and 6 months of follow-up. The trajectories and the associated risk factors for the longitudinal cognitive decline during the 6-month follow-up were investigated.

Patients with severe ARC [median (IQR): 0 month, 24 (22, 25); 6 months, 23 (21,25)] had lower TICS-40 scores than those with non-severe ARC [0 month, 31 (24, 33), p < 0.001; 6 months, 31 (23,33), p < 0.001] and controls [0 month, 32 (28, 35), p < 0.001; 6 months, 32 (28, 35), p < 0.001] at both baseline and 6 months of follow-up. Age (OR: 1.311, 95% CI: 1.229 to 1.398) and cataract grade (OR: 5.569, 95% CI: 2.337 to 13.273) were found to be the risk factors of cognitive decline as indicated by a decrease in the TICS-40 scores.

ARC is associated with an increased risk of longitudinal cognitive decline; however, the reversibility of such declines needs to be investigated further.