News reports from the conference

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) a factor when considering cataract surgery

The vast majority of Canadian ophthalmologists who conduct cataract surgery take AMD risk factors into account when assessing a patient for surgery.

A survey on this topic was conducted by Drs. Matthew Schlenker and Rosa Braga-Mele from the University of Toronto.

Of the 66 cataract surgeons who responded (18% response rate), 79% said they consider AMD before conducting cataract surgery. While 71% of respondents said they would recommend multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) to the average patient, almost none said they would recommend them to patients with AMD. In addition, two thirds said they would recommend blue-filter IOLs to patients with AMD, while 48 said they would recommend them to patients without AMD.

Surgeons were also polled about their views on using genetic testing to assess risk for AMD before recommending IOLs. In his presentation of the results, Schlenker said that 41% would recommend such a test as part of a routine cataract surgery assessment. Cost of the test and time needed to explain it to patients were two of the main hurdles identified for implementing such testing.