Study finds second-eye cataract surgery improves quality of life

Chicago-A recent study found that cataract surgery of the second eye improves the quality of life and visual function of the patient, above and beyond the benefits of the first eye surgery.

Researchers conducted a multicenter quality-review initiative to determine whether second-eye cataract surgery improves visual function, and they found that from a socioemotional perspective, there was just as much improvement from the second eye surgery as there was from the first.

The technician’s role with anesthesia in cataract surgery

The retrospective review involved 642 patients from six sites who had undergone pharmacoemulsification cataract surgery and for whom preoperative data were available.

Patients completed the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire before and after surgery on the first and second eyes. The time between surgeries varied.

Investigators compared quality-of-life improvements after first- and second-eye surgeries. The team analyzed the responses using the original scoring approach and the Rasch-refined approach. The Rasch-refined approach focuses on socioemotional responses, such as reports of "difficulty seeing how people react to what I say."

Researchers determined that quality of life was better after second-eye surgery than after first-eye surgery. This was true for all subscale scores and the composite score (P < .05).

The research recently won best paper in the cataract original paper session at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2014 Annual Meeting.

The refractive surgery for cataract patients