New research analyzing 80 eye surgeries on people living with concurrent wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts indicates that the procedure is safe and does not worsen the symptoms of AMD. The study shows that patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment for AMD are not at risk from cataracts surgery. The findings stymie concerns that the inflammation caused by the operation could make macular degeneration worse.

“Although there is a small risk of developing a subretinal hemorrhage, AMD patients with visually significant cataracts and macular degeneration requiring intravitreal anti-VEGF injections may successfully undergo cataract extraction, even with fluid on the preoperative OCT, without visually significant worsening of their underlying neovascular process,” the researchers concluded.

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“Patients with Concurrent Cataracts, Wet AMD Safe to Undergo Cataract Surgery”