A Comparative Study Of The Reliability Of Outcome Measures In The Assessment Of The Positive Effect Of Cataract Surgery

The purpose of this study is to compare outcome measures that are typically employed in the assessment of the positive effect of cataract surgery on patient’s well-being and quality-of-life (QoL).

2^nd Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

This prospective study was conducted with 150 consecutive patients undergoing cataract surgery in the 2^nd Department of Ophthalmology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, over the period of September 2019 to February 2020. The outcome measures that were employed included the 25-item Low Vision Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (LVQOL) the Visual Functioning Index 8 – Greek version (VF-8G) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short-form 36 (SF-36).

All outcome measures showed considerable improvement, following cataract surgery. Patients who have had cataract surgery before this operation, in the contralateral eye, presented with more gains in the vision-specific QoL measures only. They also had modestly higher scores in the vision-specific QoL measures and minimal benefit compared to those who haven’t had any surgery in the general health measure.  

Apparently, patient’s gains in quality of life reach a peak level following a modest level of improvement in visual acuity. Although these gains may be assessed with a general health QoL measure and not necessarily a vision-specific QoL measure, the general health measure may require additional psychometric validation to the particular population beforehand. Otherwise, a combination of vision-specific outcome measures will provide the most reliable estimate.