Subjective quality of vision before and after cataract surgery

To investigate the effect of cataract surgery on subjective quality of vision.

The Quality of Vision (QoV) questionnaire (Italian translation) was completed before and 3 months after cataract surgery in 4 groups of patients recruited from September through December 2010: first eye with ocular comorbidity, first eye without ocular comorbidity, second eye with ocular comorbidity, and second eye without ocular comorbidity. The questionnaire measures 3 aspects of quality of vision: frequency, severity, and bothersome nature of symptoms. The Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS) III was used for cataract grading. Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed to compare QoV scores within and between groups. Spearman rank correlations (rs) were calculated to investigate the correlation between LOCS III and QoV symptoms.

Two hundred twelve patients (mean [SD] age, 74.2 [8.7] years) were recruited, and 212 eyes were included in the study. Improvements in QoV scores were found in all 4 groups (P < .05). There were no statistically significant (P > .05) differences among the 4 groups in the improvement in QoV scores or in the preoperative or postoperative scores. Blurred vision was correlated with posterior subcapsular cataract (rs = 0.420, P = .04).

Cataract in one or both eyes causes a similar loss in subjective quality of vision, which is also irrespective of the presence of ocular comorbidity. Posterior subcapsular cataract causes the specific symptom "blurred vision." Cataract surgery resulted in a large and comparable improvement in subjective quality of vision, regardless of ocular comorbidity and first or second eye surgery.