Maybe this is one of those “really you needed a study for this?” posts. University of California, Los Angeles researchers found that Medicare beneficiaries who had cataract surgery had lower odds of hip fracture within 1 year after surgery compared with patients who had not undergone cataract surgery.
Think about this now. If you can see better, it makes sense that you may not slip and fall as much.åÊ
In the study,
- 16% of people who had surgery had fewer hip fractures within the first year than those who did not.
- åÊParticipants between the ages of 80 and 84 experienced the biggest benefit of the surgery, with a 28% reduced risk of fractures.
ÛÏThis is elective surgery, and sometimes people think, Û÷I’m too sick to have my cataracts out,’ or Û÷I’m too old,’åÊÛ the study’s lead author, Anne L. Coleman, M.D., told the New York Times. ÛÏBut the take-home message from this study is that if you’re starting to have vision problems and the doctor says you have cataracts, you should probably think of having them removed.Û
Well yeah don’t you think?