Researchers in Seoul recently found that patients undergoing cataract surgery have an increased risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

This 12-year population-based retrospective study included 40,356 patients who had undergone cataract surgery. The team matched non-cataract surgery controls and then determined the risk of developing NAION in the cataract surgery group compared with the non-cataract surgery group.

The study authors discovered that the 10-year incidence of NAION was 0.70% in the cataract surgery group and 0.27% in the non-cataract surgery group. They note that the surgery group had an increased risk even after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and co-medications.