title: Utility assessment among cataract surgery patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the utility values (time trade-off, standard gamble for death, standard gamble for blindness) of patients scheduled for cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary eye hospital in Singapore.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questions on time trade-off, standard gamble for death, standard gamble for blindness utilities, and visual function from an adapted version of the VF-14 were asked in a clinic interview of 217 Chinese patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean utility time trade-off of cataract surgery patients was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76, 0.78), mean standard gamble for death was 0.77 (95% CI 0.77, 0.78), and mean standard gamble for blindness was 0.76 (95% CI 0.75, 0.77). Adults with lower VF-14 scores had lower utilities, although there was no relationship between visual acuity and utilities. Utilities were also lower in patients who reported difficulty seeing in bright light.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The utilities of cataract patients scheduled for surgery were comparable to those in patients with other chronic ocular diseases. Cataract surgery patients with lower utilities tended to have worse visual function and greater difficulty seeing in bright light.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Seang-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.forename: Gus
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gazzard
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gomezperalta
authors.forename: Kah-Guan
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Au Eong
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001766:Blindness; D002386:Cataract / Q000523:psychology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D011788:Quality of Life; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years