Dry eye syndrome and cataract surgery

Abstract

Introduction. Dry eye syndrome has become a common problem after ocular surgeries with a significant impact on the quality of life. Many patients, who have undergone cataract surgery, postop?eratively developed dry eye symptoms. Dry eye syndrome is one of the risk factors associated with cataract surgery. Material and Methods. The prospective study included 80 patients. We recorded the self-reported dry eye symptoms, the values of Schirmer test, tear breakup time, and best corrected visual acuity preoperatively, as well as 7 days and 1 month after the surgery. Results. A total of 80 patients were included in the study, 45 (56.2%) females and 35 (43.8%) males. The mean age of patients was 61.5 years (SD ? 6.2, range 57 - 70 years). The best corrected visual acuity at the time of surgery was 0.4 or less in 70 patients (87.5%). Most patients reported a significant improvement in visual acuity after surgery; 68 (85%) eyes achieved a best corrected visual acuity of 0.5 or higher (median 0.7; range 0.5 - 1.0). The mean tear breaking time in cata?ract patients before surgery was 12.4 sec, 7 days after the surgery it was 8.2 sec (p < 0.05) and 1 moth after the surgery 11.1 sec. The majority of patients had mild (47.5%) and moderate (33.75%) Schirmer test values. Dry eye with wetting < 5 mm after 5 minutes was found in 16.2% of patients before cataract surgery; 7 days after the surgery (p < 0.05) it was found in 23.75% of patients and one month after surgery 11.1 sec. A foreign body sensation and watery eye were the most reported symptoms before cataract surgery. Seven days after the surgery foreign body sensation was present in 48.75% and watery eyes in 40% of patients. Conclusion. Significant increase in dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery was found with increasing age. Self reported dry eye problems are more common in patients with lower Schirmer test and best corrected visual acu?ity values before cataract surgery. Patients with concomitant dry eye disease require preoperative and postoperative treatment of dry eye to prevent aggravation of the existing symptoms that may affect the visual outcome after cataract surgery.