Association of Cataract History with Dry Eye Disease Signs and Symptoms in the DREAM Study.

Summary: Many older adults have both dry eyes and cataracts. Doctors used to worry that cataract surgery might make dry eye worse in the long run. To find out, researchers looked at 535 people with moderate-to-severe dry eye. They compared those who never had cataracts, those with current cataracts, and those who had cataract surgery at least six months ago. The good news? Cataract surgery does not cause permanent worsening of dry eye. While older age can make dry eye worse, the surgery itself is safe for your eyes' moisture in the long term. Any extra dryness right after surgery is just temporary!