Can a Common Surgery Reduce the Risk of Dementia?
A common surgical procedure that many older Americans undergo shows a strong association with reduced Alzheimer’s disease risk, according to recent research.
The Study Findings
New evidence demonstrates that cataract surgery may lower dementia risk by approximately 30 percent. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine tracked this benefit for at least a decade following the procedure, with the protective effect specifically linked to reduced Alzheimer’s incidence.
Investigators from the University of Washington School of Medicine conducted an observational study using Kaiser Permanente Washington data. The research initially included over 5,000 participants aged 65 and older, with follow-up data collected from more than 3,000 subjects.
Among participants diagnosed with cataracts or glaucoma who initially had no dementia diagnosis, those undergoing cataract surgery demonstrated approximately 30 percent lower likelihood of developing any dementia form within ten years post-surgery.
Potential Mechanisms
Researchers have proposed several hypotheses explaining this association, though the exact mechanism remains unclear. One theory suggests that improved sensory input quality following surgery may contribute to reduced dementia risk.
Dr. Cecilia Lee, the lead researcher and associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, offered an alternative explanation: “Some special cells in the retina are associated with cognition and regulate sleep cycles, and these cells respond well to blue light. Cataracts specifically block blue light, and cataract surgery could reactivate those cells.”
The researcher noted that “this kind of evidence is as good as it gets in epidemiology” and highlighted that no comparable medical intervention has demonstrated such a substantial association with dementia risk reduction in older populations.
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