New study shows lens replacement may improve your sleep

A new laboratory study recently published in JAMA Ophthalmology indicates that Intraocular lens replacement surgery in patients with cataracts may improve your sleep.

"In this cross-sectional study of 13 patients with previous cataract and 16 healthy controls, intraocular cataract lens replacement significantly increased melatonin sensitivity to light by approximately 45%, ultraviolet lens improved cognitive function by approximately 70%, and sleep function by approximately 50% compared with blue-blocking lens."

While the study was smaller in comparison to many studies, Dr. Sarah Chellappa, of Harvard Medical School in Boston says, "The main take-home message is that cataract lens replacement may be associated with improved circadian rhythms, better cognitive performance, and improved sleep."

Dr. Trevor Woodhams, Chief of Surgery at Woodhams Eye Clinic in Atlanta states, "What the study shows is that early removal of the human lens with its replacement by an artificial lens (IOL) seems to promote better sleep cycles because of the ability of more light to penetrate to the retina which signals the body to produce melatonin. This gets inhibited as the natural lens ages and discolors, even before this process is bad enough to be considered a real cataract."