According to new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research, Americans over the age of 65 are living longer. Between 1992 and 2008, healthy life expectancy at age 65 increased by 1.8 years, and two treatments contributed: better cardiac care and cataract surgery. Those who opt for cataract surgery also experienced fewer falls, injuries, and disabilities.

“Older people who have eye surgery to remove cataracts and improve their vision also significantly reduce their risk of breaking a hip in a fall, […] those in their early 80s experiencing nearly 30 percent fewer hip fractures in the first year […],” explained author Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times. [Read more…]