Visual function impairments in relation to gender, age, and visual acuity in patients who undergo cataract surgery

This study aimed to determine the relationship between visual function impairment in 776 patients who had extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation and gender, age, preoperative visual acuity (VA) of both the operative and the contralateral eye, and presence of other ocular disease in the operative eye.

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

1139 patients whose medical records were abstracted and who had cataract surgery performed at 1 of 10 participating academic medical centers in 1990.

In the 776 patients who had explicit statements about impairment of visual function documented in their medical records, univariate and multivariable logistic analyses were used to assess the above relationship.

The most severe visual functional deficit that justified the cataract operation varied in relation to gender, age, and VA. On bivariate analysis, men were more likely to have impairment with employment, driving, and glare, whereas women were more likely to have impairment with activities of daily living and recreational activities. Significant findings between visual impairment and the independent variables from the logistic regression models included: (1) employment limitation and male gender (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-3.40); (2) employment limitation and younger age (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.050-0.28 for ages 70-79); (3) recreational impairment and older age (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.64-4.70 for ages 80+); (4) impairment in performing activities of daily living and female gender (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.98 for male gender); (5) impairment in performing activities of daily living and worse VA in the operative eye (OR, 5.13; 95% CI, 2.93-9.00 for VA < 20/100); (6) glare-associated impairment and younger age (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.24-0.69 for age 80+); and (7) glare-associated impairment and better VA (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.067-0.38 for VA < 20/100).

When deciding whether to perform cataract surgery, functional impairment must be considered in relation to the age and the gender of the patient, for the type of functional impairment varies in association with age and gender.