Anxiety in older persons waiting for cataract surgery: Investigating the contributing factors

Cataract surgery is one of the most frequent surgical procedures experience d by seniors. In Canada, substantial waiting lists for cataract surgery are common. This study systematically studied anxiety among older persons who were waiting for cataract surgery, and factors that may underlie anxiety in this population. Factors examined in relation to anxiety were age, sex, ed ucation, medical and ocular problems, previous cataract surgery, concern ab out wait, previous decisions to delay surgery, length of wait, visual funct ioning, visual acuity, worry about health, and coping strategies. A random sample (n = 50) of patients on a waiting Bet for cataract surgery took part in telephone interviews. Patients' ophthalmologists provided preoperative visual acuity. Over one-third of patients reported anxiety within the range reported for panic disorder patients and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores wer e well above reported norms for seniors. Increased anxiety was found among those with a general tendency to worry about their health, poorer visual fu nctioning, and greater use of palliative coping strategies. The clinical im plications of the findings are discussed. The results highlight the importa nce of assessing anxiety while elderly patients wait for surgery, designing interventions, and providing assistance to those patients found to have el evated levels of anxiety.