IMPROVEMENTS IN CLINICAL AND FUNCTIONAL VISION AND PERCEIVED VISUAL DISABILITY AFTER FIRST AND 2ND EYE CATARACT-SURGERY

Aims-To determine the improvements in clinical and functional vision a nd perceived visual disability after first and second eye cataract sur gery. Methods-Clinical vision (monocular and binocular high and low co ntrast visual acuity,contrast sensitivity, and disability glare), func tional vision (face identity and expression recognition, reading speed , word acuity, and mobility orientation), and perceived visual disabil ity (Activities of Daily Vision Scale) were measured in 25 subjects be fore and after uncomplicated cataract surgery (10 first eye surgery an d 15 second eye surgery) and in 10 age matched controls. Results-Signi ficant improvements were found after surgery in clinical and functiona l vision and perceived visual disability. Greater improvements were fo und after first eye surgery than after second eye surgery. However, fi rst eye surgery did not return all scores to age matched normal levels . There were significant improvements in several of the tests measured after second eye surgery, and all postoperative values were similar t o those from age matched normals. Conclusions-Significant improvements in clinical, functional, and perceived vision are obtained by catarac t surgery. The improvements in objective measures of functional vision found in this study support previous findings of improvements in pati ents' perceived functional vision. In addition, these data provide sup port to the necessity of second eye surgery in some patients to improv e certain aspects of visual function to age matched normal levels.