Ocular comorbidity and self-assessed visual function after cataract surgery

Abstract

To study the association between ocular comorbidities and the change in patient-perceived visual function, postoperative patient-perceived visual function, and visual satisfaction after cataract surgery. Forty-one Swedish cataract surgical units. Clinic-based cross-sectional study. Patients who had cataract surgery from 2008 to 2011 completed the Catquest-9SF questionnaire preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Questionnaire data were converted into interval data using Rasch analysis. Multiple regression and logistic regression models were used to examine possible predictors associated with self-assessed visual function after cataract surgery. The total questionnaire was completed by 10,364 patients. Patients without diabetic retinopathy, corneal guttata, glaucoma, macular degeneration, any other comorbidity, or the presence of more than 1 ocular comorbidity had greater improvement in self-assessed visual function than their counterparts. Patients with other factors such as young age, female sex, short preoperative surgical waiting time, and low preoperative and high postoperative corrected distance visual acuities (CDVAs) also had significantly greater improvement in self-assessed visual function than their counterparts. Young patients and those with no specific ocular comorbidities, a short surgical waiting time, and low preoperative and high postoperative CDVAs had significantly higher self-assessed postoperative visual function than their counterparts. Patients without the mentioned ocular comorbidities and a high postoperative CDVA had a higher odds ratio of general satisfaction rather than dissatisfaction than their counterparts. Multiple ocular comorbidities, age, preoperative waiting time, and preoperative and postoperative CDVAs affected patients' improvement and self-assessed visual function after cataract surgery. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.