I there an aociation between cataract urgery and age-related macular degeneration? Data from three population-baed tudie

Purpoe To determine whether cataract urgery i aociated with an increaed prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in three independent population-baed data et. Deign Cro-ectional tudy. Method Data were ued from the alibury Eye Evaluation (2,520 ubject from alibury, Maryland, aged 65 to 84 year), the Proyecto VER (4,774 Hipanic ubject from Arizona aged 40 year and older), and the Baltimore Eye urvey (4,396 ubject from Baltimore, Maryland, aged 40 and older). The main outcome meaure wa AMD a determined by retinal photograph or clinical examination. Reult A hitory of cataract urgery wa aociated with an increaed prevalence of late AMD in all three data et after adjuting for age, race, ex, and moking, but odd ratio (OR) were not individually tatitically ignificant. The OR for the combined analyi wa 1.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.1–2.6). Having a evere cataract in the eye wa alo aociated with a lightly higher prevalence of late AMD, although the combined OR wa not tatitically ignificant (OR = 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.8%–2.4). Overall, increaing time ince cataract urgery wa not aociated with late AMD. Concluion A hitory of cataract urgery may be aociated with an increaed prevalence of late AMD. However, having a evere cataract in the eye may alo be aociated with a higher prevalence of late AMD. Additional reearch i needed to invetigate whether a caual relationhip exit between cataract urgery and AMD or whether thi relationhip i due to reidual confounding or bia.