Long-time visual functional results of cataract surgery on low vision patients

Abstract

Background/aims

To assess longitudinal 5-year results of cataract surgery on low vision patients.

Methods

In this prospective, long-time, observational case-series, we report the outcome regarding the subjective visual function (n = 35) assessed by a visual function questionnaire (VF-14) and the visual acuity (n = 30) of surviving low vision patients 5 years after surgery. We compare with data recorded on the same patients before surgery and 4 months postoperatively.

Results

Five years after surgery, 57% had unchanged or better VF-14 score compared with preoperatively, and 37% compared with postoperatively. Maculopathy patients had a significantly larger deterioration 5 years after surgery compared with postoperatively (40.2 versus 51.7, p = 0.004), but for the glaucoma patients there was no significant change (52.6 versus 53.1). There were no significant associations between age of the patient and change in VF-14 score or change in visual acuity 5 years after surgery, neither compared with before surgery nor postoperatively.

Conclusion

Results suggest a favorable functional outcome 5 years after cataract surgery on most low-vision patients. Glaucoma patients have a more stable outcome than patients with macular degeneration. The severity of the disease-process for each individual patient might be the most important factor affecting the long-time results.

Keywords:

• low vision
• cataract surgery outcome
• long-time results

Disclosure

Preliminary data were presented as a Poster presentation at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, November 12th 2006. Grants from the Crown Princess Margareta’s Committee for the Blind (KMA), Stockholm, Sweden, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden, and Västerbottens county council research funds, Umeå, Sweden, are greatly acknowledged. The authors report no conflicts of interest.