Cataract: trends in surgical procedures and visual outcomes; a study in a tertiary care hospital

Objective: To determine the current procedures in practice and visual outcome following a cataract surgery. Methods: The study was conducted from January 7 to April 7, 2011 in the Eye Unit of the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, involving 181 patients. Basic demographics of the patients as well as the type of cataract surgery were noted. Risk factors like diabetes mellitus and glaucoma were also noted for each patient. A pre-operative visual acuity was determined. The patient was examined after two months to determine the visual improvement. Results: Out of 181 patients, 117 were males and 64 were females. Age ranged from 5 years to 83 years with a median age of 60. Most common procedure performed (60.2%) was extra capsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lense (ECCE), followed by Phacoemulsification (24.3%). Visual outcome was good in 88.3%, borderline in 8.3% and poor in 3.3% patients. The main reasons for poor visual outcomes were diabetic retinopathy 42.8%, glaucoma-related vision loss 19.0%, history of trauma with retinal detachment 9.5%, and age- related macular degeneration 9.5%. Poor visual outcome was found in diabetic and Glaucoma patients. Surgical complications (3.8%) were rare. Conclusion: Overall a good visual outcome was noted in cataract surgery, which was similar to World Health Organisation guidelines. Extra capsular cataract extraction was the most common procedure followed by Phacoemulsification.