Clinical Profile and Visual Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Observational Study
Abstract
Background: Cataract remains a major cause of avoidable visual impairment. Assessment of postoperative visual outcomes is essential for monitoring the quality of cataract surgical services. Objective: To describe the clinical profile of patients undergoing cataract surgery and evaluate their postoperative visual outcomes and associated factors at a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology; Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical sciences and Research (MMIMSR), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India, from February 2021 to February 2022 It included 120 patients with age-related cataract who underwent phacoemulsification or manual small-incision cataract surgery. Demographic and clinical characteristics, cataract morphology, surgical technique and complications were recorded. Presenting visual acuity and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed preoperatively, on postoperative day 1 and at six weeks. A BCVA below 6/18 at six weeks was considered a suboptimal outcome. Results: The mean age was 64.2 ± 9.1 years, and 64 (53.3%) patients were men. Nuclear sclerosis was the most common cataract type, affecting 62 (51.7%) patients. Phacoemulsification was performed in 72 (60.0%) patients. Good presenting visual acuity of ?6/18 increased from 9.2% preoperatively to 81.7% in six weeks. After refractive correction, 108 (90.0%) patients achieved good BCVA. Mean BCVA improved from 1.18 ± 0.42 to 0.18 ± 0.21 log MAR (p<0.001). Transient corneal oedema was the most frequent complication (10.0%). Suboptimal BCVA was significantly associated with ocular comorbidity (p=0.004), operative or postoperative complications (p=0.005), and mature cataract (p=0.006). Conclusion: Cataract surgery resulted in substantial visual improvement in most patients. Careful preoperative assessment, timely surgery, prevention of complications and postoperative refractive correction are essential for optimizing visual outcomes. Keywords: Cataract surgery; visual acuity; visual outcome; phacoemulsification; small-incision cataract surgery; ocular comorbidity.