title: Gain in visual acuity after cataract surgery improves postural stability and mobility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vision plays an important role in postural stability. It has also been shown that visual information from the environment and visual cues significantly contribute to balance skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of visual acuity on postural stability and mobility before and after cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group was composed of 25 male and 11 female patients (age 57-84, mean 66.6 +/- 4.7) who had been operated for age-related cataract. Postural stability and mobility were assessed before and four weeks after the surgery by means of Biodex stability system (BSS), Tinetti, Time up and go (TUG) and Functional reach (FR) tests, as well as by gait analysis (gait velocity, step length, step width, cadence, stride length).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative visual acuity was significantly improved. Gait velocity and cadence increased significantly but step length, stride length, and step width did not change significantly. Postoperative improvement of Tinetti balance, TUG and FR tests were significant. Similarly, antero-posterior stability index (APSI), mediolateral stability index (MLSI) and overall stability index (OSI) that were examined with BSS improved significantly after the cataract surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrated that gain in visual acuity after cataract surgery improves the postural stability and mobility of patients (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 29). Full Text in free PDF www.bmj.sk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Inonu University School of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey. durmusbekir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Durmus
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emre
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cankaya
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baysal
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Altay
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D004856:Postural Balance; D014792:Visual Acuity