Outcome of cataract surgery considering the preoperative situation: a study of possible predictors of the functional outcome

Aim-To analyse possible predictors of the self assessed functional outcome of a cataract extraction. Methods-The patients' self assessed visual function was studied by use of a questionnaire, the "Catquest", before and 6 months after surgery. All pati ents (n=1933, mean age 75.5 years, 66.8% women) who were undergoing catarac t surgery in March 1995, in 35 different departments of ophthalmology parti cipating in the National Swedish Cataract Register, were included in the st udy. A routine ophthalmic examination was performed before and after surger y. The following preoperative variables were studied with regard to a possi ble relation to the outcome: age, sex, ocular comorbidity, best corrected p reoperative vision (better eye), first or second eye surgery, other disease s with a need for long term medication, need for home help, need for subsid ised travel by taxi. Results-Ocular comorbidity was strongly related to a "no benefit" outcome a fter surgery (p= 0.005). Second eye surgery and young age was related to a "very good benefit" outcome after surgery (p=0.0001 and p<0.0001 respective ly). Conclusions-Patients with an ocular comorbidity in the eye undergoing a cat aract extraction were characterised by a significantly higher frequency of deteriorated self assessed visual function after surgery than patients with no ocular comorbidity. The highest degree of improvement was most frequent ly found in younger patients undergoing second eye surgery.