Is Cataract Surgery Successful in Diabetics?

Diabetics aren’t immune to cataracts. In fact, diabetes can actually cause some types of cataracts. For cataract surgery, diabetics have some additional precautions that other individuals without medical conditions need not worry about.

As mentioned previously, diabetes causes lots of issues in the retina of the eye. One of these issues is swelling in the macula or the center part of the vision. Swelling in the back of the eye causes blurry vision. After cataract surgery, we all want the vision to be as sharp as possible. Uncontrolled diabetes can be a roadblock to achieving this goal. Even if there is no swelling heading into cataract surgery, having uncontrolled diabetes can increase the risk that swelling will occur after the procedure! “An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies to this situation. Because cataract surgery is elective, it is best to treat the diabetes first and get the blood sugar levels to a healthier range prior to cataract surgery unless it is absolutely necessary to get the cataract out. A healthier range equates to a HbA1c value less than 7.0. This greatly reduces the risk of blurry vision from swelling after the procedure. Another nice effect, however, is that it prevents further health decline from the diabetes being out of controlled.

It’s difficult for many to get their diabetes under control. But by taking the necessary steps prior to cataract surgery, great outcomes can be achieved!

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