Exploring patient involvement in target refraction decision-making for cataract surgery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Patient-centered care
• Refractive surgery

Background:

• Post-surgical emmetropia is a common target refraction in cataract surgery.
• Current practices often neglect professional recommendations for discussing refractive implications with patients.
• Patient involvement in target refraction decisions is crucial for personalized outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient perspectives on their involvement in target refraction decision-making.
• To understand patient preferences for target refraction during cataract surgery.
• To identify factors influencing patient participation in refractive outcome planning.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with 10 cataract surgery patients in the UK National Health Service.
• Analysis of interview data using reflexive thematic analysis.
• Collection of pre- and post-surgical refractive data to supplement qualitative findings.

Main Results:

• Patients exhibited significant uncertainty and limited understanding of 'target refraction'.
• Clinician-patient discussions about target refraction were heterogeneous.
• Pre-surgical spectacle wear habits strongly influenced post-surgical spectacle preferences, independent of target refraction.
• Patients were satisfied with vision restoration but hesitant to participate due to misconceptions.

Conclusions:

• Patients have limited awareness of personalizing target refraction based on spectacle wear.
• Enhancing patient involvement requires addressing misconceptions and improving educational strategies.
• Further research is needed to assess these perspectives in a broader population.