Neurology Bulletin · Jan 16, 2026
Mental disorders associated with cataract and its surgical treatment with intraocular lens implantation: a review
By Galimov AR, Timofeyeva N, Voskresenskaya AA et al.
The retina and the visual analyzer are integral parts of the central nervous system. According to international sources, visual impairment may place a person’s mental health at substantial risk. Cataract is currently one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness, and cataract surgery is the most commonly performed operation worldwide. Although the lens belongs to the optical system of the eye, its opacification, with subsequent distortion of incoming sensory signals and impairment of light transmission, has neurophysiological consequences that, together with psychogenic stress and the resulting functional limitations, may lead to mental disorders. The review showed that the presence of cataract increases the risk of cognitive, depressive, and anxiety disorders. Cataract extraction reduces this risk, improves quality of life and sleep, and promotes favorable structural and functional changes in the cerebral cortex. Intraocular lenses implanted to replace the extracted cataract lens require visual neuroadaptation, which may be difficult at an older age because of reduced neuroplasticity. In the case of multifocal intraocular lenses, this process may prove unsuccessful and require lens replacement because of persistent subjective complaints regarding visual quality. In addition, the scientific data showed that the use of blue-light–filtering intraocular lenses does not increase the risk of sleep disturbances. At the same time, the influence of cataract and individual types of intraocular lenses on the development of different types of mental disorders remains insufficiently studied. Ophthalmologists have contributed greatly to the investigation into this problem; however, its complex neurophysiological and interdisciplinary aspects require the active participation of psychiatrists, neurologists, and neuro-ophthalmologists in further research. Given the growing attention of healthcare systems to the protection of individual and public mental health, the influence of cataract and the outcomes of its surgical treatment on mental manifestations requires further study.