Pre-and Post-Operative Quality of Life for Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: Prospective study in the Occupied Palestinian Territories رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Background: The term of vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) is a critical outcome that is found in the literature among patients who undergo cataract surgery, and is assessed by several tools and found to be affected by several factors. The current study aims to investigate and compare between preoperative and postoperative VRQoL among Palestinian cataract patients and the most common factors related to the improvement. Methodology: The study implemented pretest-posttest quantitative design, and included 58 patients who underwent cataract surgery in four hospitals in Palestine. The valid tool of NEI-VFQ-25 was used to evaluate VRQoL, and were analyzed using SPSS, with commitment to ethical considerations of anonymity and confidentiality. Result: The patients had a mean age of 60.4 years old, mostly related to HTN and DM (15.5% each). The mean scores of NEI-VFQ-25 subscales have improved from 62.371 to 74.375 in general health, 64.363 to 91.814 in difficulty with activities, 62.787 to 79.358 in response to vision problems and 66.121 to 86.014 in overall scores (p-value < 0.001 in all of them). The improvement was significantly higher in cataract patients with intraocular pressure and HTN patients than other causes (p-value = 0.036). Conclusion: Cataract surgery is a crucial intervention that significantly enhances the VRQoL in patients. The study highlights the importance of surgical treatment for cataracts and encourages more accessible and efficient cataract surgical services in the region, and future research should focus on long-term VRQoL outcomes and the development of specific pre- and post-operative care programs.