Main Article Content

The Impact of Cataract Surgery on Subjective Visual Functions and Quality of Life in Patients with Cataract in Northwestern Nigeria


Sadiq M. Abdullahi
Mahmoud B. Alhassan
Olufemi E. Babalola

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the impact of cataract surgery on visual functions (VFs) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with cataract at the National Eye Center, Kaduna. Methods: VFs and QoL questionnaires were administered to the patients preoperatively and 6 weeks postoperatively. Correlation was assessed among subjective VF, QoL, and visual acuity (VA). The preoperative and sixth-week postoperative VA, VF scores, and QoL scores were compared. A paired t-test was used for comparison between before and after surgery. Results: Two hundred and seventy-one patients were studied. The age range of the patients was 45 to 85 years with a mean age of 64.2 years (SD ± 6.51). There was significant improvement in overall VF and QoL following cataract surgery (P<0.0001). Mean VF scores preoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively were 28.6 (SD ± 7.9) and 15.1 (SD ± 3.5), respectively. The overall mean QoL scores were 23.7 (SD ± 9.0.) preoperatively and 13.5 (SD ± 1.1) postoperatively. This difference was statistically significant P<0.0001. Bilateral cataract surgery patients had greater gain in VF and QoL than those that had uniocular surgery. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that cataract surgery is effective in improving overall VF and vision-related QoL, which resulted in functional independence. The second eye surgery confers additional gains in terms of VF and QoL in patients with bilateral cataract.

Keywords: Cataract surgery, quality of life, visual function


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2468-8363
print ISSN: 0189-9171