A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Ophthalmology found cataract surgery may be associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.  

The review, including 24 articles comprising 558,276 participants, found that cataract surgery was associated with a 25% reduced risk of long-term cognitive decline compared with patients with uncorrected cataracts. This cognitive benefit was seen across various outcomes and remained robust to sensitivity analyses, reported the Singaporean-based research team, adding that participants who underwent cataract surgery showed a similar risk of long-term cognitive decline as healthy controls without cataracts.  

While cataract surgery was associated with a 4% improvement in short-term cognitive test scores among participants with normal cognition, no significant association was observed among participants with preexisting cognitive impairment.  

Given the lack of cure for cognitive illness, including dementia, identifying modifiable risk factors is key in caring for patients with cognitive deficits, concluded the research team, recommending the cognitive benefits of cataract surgery should be investigated further in randomised trials.