Visual and health-related quality of life in cataract patients versus healthy controls

To compare health-related quality of life and vision-related quality of life between patients with cataracts and healthy controls.

This research was carried out as a cross-sectional study. Participants were selected from Rasoul Akram Hospital in Tehran, Iran, comprised of two groups: healthy individuals and those diagnosed with cataracts, using a simple random sampling technique. Following the interviews, participants completed the SF-36 health-related quality of life questionnaire and the VFQ-25 vision-related quality of life questionnaire. Comprehensive optometric and ophthalmic assessments, were conducted for all participants.

This research involved a selection of 130 healthy individuals and 154 cataract patients who were candidates for cataract surgery. The average ages of the healthy individuals and cataract patients were 69.7±3.5 and 69.5±6.5y, respectively (P=0.837), with 42.3% of the healthy individuals and 44.8% of the cataract male patients (P=0.672). According to the SF-36 questionnaire, the quality of life regarding physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, social functioning, pain, and general health were significantly worse among cataract patients. The composite physical index for cataract patients and healthy individuals was 70.7±9.08 and 78.53±8.17, respectively (P<0.001; effect size=0.90, 95%CI: 0.66-1.15), while the mental index showed no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.112; effect size=0.19, 95%CI: -0.04-0.42). All aspects of the VFQ-25 questionnaire were notably lower in cataract patients, with the mean final VFQ-25 scores being 56.49±14.81 for cataract patients and 92.9±4.64 for healthy individuals (P<0.001; effect size=3.21, 95%CI: 2.85-3.56). The VFQ-25 questionnaire indicated that the most significant effect size was associated with role difficulties and distance activities. More components from both questionnaires exhibited a substantial correlation with best-corrected visual acuity in cataract patients.

Patients suffering from cataracts exhibit a significantly reduced health-related quality of life, especially concerning physical health and vision-related quality of life, compared to those without cataracts. Timely surgical treatment for these individuals can improve their overall quality of life.