Cataract-related vision loss and depression in a cohort of patients awaiting cataract surgery.
OBJECTIVE
As provinces consider what an acceptable cataract surgery wait time should be, research is needed on the risk of adverse events, such as depression, while waiting for care. We sought to determine whether worse visual acuity is related to depressive symptoms in patients waiting to have cataract surgery.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Six hundred seventy-two patients awaiting cataract surgery were recruited from Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal, Que.


METHODS
About 2 weeks before surgery and 4 months after surgery, patients completed the Visual Function-14 questionnaire, a measure of the self-report of difficulty performing visual tasks, and the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Patients were also asked about systemic and ocular comorbidities. Visual acuity was measured with pinhole correction. Date of entry onto the hospital waiting list and date of cataract surgery were recorded.


RESULTS
Forty-one percent of patients had visual acuity of 6/18 or worse in the surgical eye, whereas 26% showed signs of depression before surgery (Geriatric Depression Scale-30 > or = 10). In a logistic regression model, those with visual acuity < or = 6/18 in their surgical eye had a 59% higher adjusted odds of depression (odds ratio 1.59, 95% CI 1.09-2.33). There was statistically significant evidence that the relationship between visual acuity and depression was mediated by greater reported difficulty on the Visual Function-14 (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with worse visual acuity were more likely to be depressed while waiting for cataract surgery. Shortening the wait time for cataract surgery, especially for those with worse vision, could potentially reduce the risk or shorten the duration of depression.
Freeman
Ellen E
EE
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Que. ellen.e.freeman@umontreal.ca
Gresset
Jacques
J
Djafari
Fawzia
F
Aubin
Marie-Josée
MJ
Couture
Simon
S
Bruen
Robin
R
Laporte
Annie
A
Boisjoly
Hélène
H
D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014850:Waiting Lists