Cataract surgery improved vision in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients at any stage of the disease, from mild to advanced, a new, national study finds.

A greater number of Americans are expected to develop AMD as the boomers age, and many will also develop cataract. Both diseases can cause blindness if untreated.

On average, the nearly 2,000 AMD patients in this study had better visual acuity (sharpness) after cataract surgery, with the best gains in patients with vision worse than 20/40 before surgery. Patients with both “wet” (neovascular) and “dry” (central geographic atrophy) AMD improved about equally, and vision remained improved when tested during one year follow-up exams.