Relationship among Patient Outcomes in Cataract Surgical Patient - Pilot study -

Background : This study was done to assess the relationship among multiple patient outcomes of cataract surgery perioperatively, 3-4 months and 12 months after surgery. The patient outcomes include changes in visual acuity(operated eye, better eye), visual function(VF-14), patient satisfaction, subjective satisfaction with vision, and subjective overall health status. Methods : For the assessment of relationship, prospective study was performed with 92 patients who had undergone either one or both eye cataract surgery by 3 ophthalmologists practicing at a university hospital. Patients were interviewed. and clinical data were obtained. Doctors were questioned with self-entered questionnaire forms. Medical record was examined to understand surgery process. The survey was conducted at 4 stages : preoperatively, perioperatively, postoperative 3-4 months, and postoperative 12 months. Results : The correlations within patient outcomes at 4 stages - the visual acuity of operated eye and that of better eye, patient satisfaction and VF-14, subjective overall health status and relative health status as against others - were found to be positively correlated. The change in the visual acuity of operated eye and better eye was correlated with VF-14 as well as with patient satisfaction. The change was also correlated with overall health status. However, the correlations between variables were decreased as the postoperative period got longer. Conclusion : As for the postoperative clinical patient outcomes, VF-14 is acted to linker between visual acuity - clinical outcomes and overall health status - endpoint outcomes. Therefore. VF-14 is the index of patient-sided and disease-specific outcome for cataract surgery.ope