The impact of phacoemulsification surgery on vision-related quality of life in senile cataract patients.

Background: Phacoemulsification surgery may have beneficial effects on the quality of life of patients with senile cataract. These effects can be evaluated with the help of questionnaires and tests.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the phacoemulsification surgery on the vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) in patients with senile cataract using the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and functional independence measure (FIM) tests.

Methods: The data collection was prospective. NEI-VFQ-25 and FIM tests were measured by a masked ergo-therapist. The patients who underwent phacoemulsification surgery were included in this study. Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), NEI-VFQ-25 and FIM scores were compared in the preoperative period and at least 3 months after the surgery according to demographic properties including gender, age, education status, as well as the BCVA level and laterality.

Results: Preoperative mean BCVA and NEI-VFQ-25 composite scores improved significantly ( < 0.001 and  = 0.001, respectively). All NEI-VFQ-25 subscale scores except the general health ( = 0.235) and driving ( = 0.226) showed a significant postoperative increase. The postoperative NEI-VFQ-25 composite scores showed a significant increase in all subgroup analyses ( < 0.05 for all). Patients with poorer BCVA, bilateral surgery, and low education status had lower preoperative NEI-VFQ-25 composite scores than the patients with better BCVA, unilateral surgery, and high education status ( = 0.026,  = 0.016, and  = 0.032, respectively). All FIM scores were similar in the preoperative and postoperative periods regardless of subgroup analyses ( > 0.05 for all).

Conclusion: Phacoemulsification surgery can provide a satisfying improvement in VR-QOL in patients with cataracts. As a valid and reliable test, the NEI-VFQ-25 scale can be used to measure the visual function after the ocular surgeries.