Perception of difficulties with vision-related activities of daily living among patients undergoing unilateral posterior capsulotomy.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the influence of Nd:YAG (neodymium: yttrium-aluminum- garnet) laser unilateral posterior capsulotomy on visual acuity and patients' perception of difficulties with vision-related activities of daily life.


METHODS
We conducted an interventional survey that included 48 patients between 40 and 80 years of age with uni- or bilateral pseudophakia, posterior capsule opacification, and visual acuity <or=0.30 (logMAR) in one eye who were seen at a Brazilian university hospital. All patients underwent posterior capsulotomy using an Nd:YAG laser. Before and after the intervention, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire that was developed in an exploratory study.


RESULTS
Before posterior capsulotomy, the median visual acuity (logMAR) of the included patients was 0.52 (range 0.30-1.60). After posterior capsulotomy, the median visual acuity of the included patients improved to 0.10 (range 0.0-0.52). According to the subjects' perceptions, their ability to perform most of their daily life activities improved after the intervention (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
After patients underwent posterior capsulotomy with an Nd:YAG laser, a significant improvement in the visual acuity of the treated eye was observed. Additionally, subjects felt that they experienced less difficulty performing most of their vision-dependent activities of daily living.
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. fmbs@netsite.com.br
Firmani M B de
FM
Senne
Edméa R
ER
Temporini
Carlos E L
CE
Arieta
Karla D
KD
Pacheco
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D058442:Capsule Opacification / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*