Venue: The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 1 Towerview Drive, Durham, NC 27708-0120

 

Presentation

Motor Vehicle Collision Prevention via Earlier Cataract Surgery

Authors: Cynthia Owsley (University of Alabama at Birmingham); Gerald McGwin (University of Alabama at Birmingham); Stephen Mennemeyer (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Presenter: Stephen Mennemeyer (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Discussant: Robert S. Woodward (University of New Hampshire)

Session: Public Health

Room: Classroom G

When: Tuesday 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Motor vehicle collision rates have been shown to fall for elderly drivers after cataract surgery. Currently, most insurers allow payment for cataract surgery based upon an individual's self-reported visual difficulties or adverse visual symptoms. As a consequence, surgery tends to occur some time after significant vision problems have emerged. We examine how many motor vehicle collisions might be avoided if an objective measure of vision, contrast sensitivity, were used to determine when cataract surgery ought to be performed. We examine the societal net benefit and cost effectiveness of earlier cataract surgery compared to current practice. Calculations are based on data from the Impact of Cataracts on Mobility (ICOM) project which followed a prospective cohort study of 277 patients with cataract, age 55 to 84 at enrollment, with 4 to 6 years of follow-up.