Q: Can cataract surgery in a person with dry macular degeneration cause the disease to progress to wet macular degeneration?
A: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 65 in the U.S. The two subtypes of AMD are the progressive dry AMD, which typically moves slowly, and progressive wet AMD, which moves more quickly. Numerous studies have been performed to determine if cataract surgery is linked to either an increased progression of dry AMD or to the development of wet AMD. Though some scientific studies found a link between cataract surgery and AMD progression, many other studies did not. Currently, the consensus is that cataract surgery is not a definite risk factor for progression of dry AMD.
— Dr. Francis C. DeCroos, Southeastern Retina Associates; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society
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