Risk of Falling

It has been suggested that patients who have undergone surgery for cataract removal are more likely to experience a fall post procedure.Data collected has even pinpointed the exact time when that fall is most likely to occur, and this will usually fall in between completion of the first operation and before the second has taken place.
 Cataracts will impair vision as it causes a clouding of the lens that helps you to focus light. It can affect just one or both eyes and so without corrective surgery it is likely to also increase the chances of falls and injuries.A collection of twenty eight thousand people in Australia under the age of sixty were researched who had all had two cataract operations a few months apart.The study took seven years in total to complete. They investigated the period before their first cataract operation, the period between the first and the second operation and the time after the second op had been completed.What they found was that people were twice as likely to have a fall in the time between the first and second procedures compared to before they had their first. Four per cent was the figure recorded as having fallen, with women being the most likely to be affected and people who were suffering other illnesses.

While surgery for cataracts is likely to greatly improve your vision, this study has highlighted, that those who wait for their second operation some months after their initial correction, are increasing their risks of falling.