The Week India - July 29, 2018

THE WEEK · JULY 29, 2018 15

HEALTH

Contributor: SHYLA JOVITHA ABRAHAM

DID YOU KNOW

Testosterone is a major influencer of men’s con-

sumer behaviour. Higher testosterone levels

increase a man’s preference for high status luxury

brands over quality.

Nature Communications

The risk for car crashes is
lower among drivers with
cataracts who undergo
surgery. Cataracts are the
most common cause of
impaired vision worldwide
and may increase a driver’s
risk for traffic accidents.
The Canadian study
published in JAMA
Ophthalmology was based on
5,59,546 patients 65 years
and older who underwent

cataract surgery.

The researchers analysed

emergency department visit

for a traffic crash as a driver

before and after cataract

surgery. The crash rate

decreased from 2.36 to 2.14

per 1,000 patients per year

after cataract surgery.

Drivers were 9 per cent less

likely to be involved in a serious

traffic crash following cataract

surgery. There was a more

pronounced reduction (14 per

cent) among drivers over the

age of 75.

“This study suggests

that cataract surgery is

associated with a modest

decrease in a patient’s

subsequent risk of a

serious traffic crash as a

driver, which has potential

implications for mortality,

morbidity, and costs to

society,” the study concluded.

CATARACT SURGERY LINKED

TO LOWER RISK OF CAR CRASHES