title: Quality-of-life and visual function after manual small incision cataract Surgery in South Western Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Outcome studies after cataract surgery should focus on functional status and quality of life instead of visual acuity measurement alone.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess patients' quality of life (QoL) and overall visual function (VF) after manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS) with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective hospital based study which evaluated the preoperative and postoperative visual function and vision related QoL among patients presenting with first eye cataract at an eye hospital in South Western Nigeria using the VF-14 questionnaire and the vision related QoL questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and eighty two patients were enrolled for the study with a mean age of 66.5 ± 10.46. The mean preoperative visual function (VF) score was 40.17 ± 33.59 (range 0 to 82.14) and postoperatively it was 88.79 ± 20.15 (range 0 to 100) p value <0.001. Prior to surgery, 50 (27.6%) patients had visual function score. 75% however after surgery 161 (88.2%) patients had a visual function score of over 75%. (p value <0.001). Using the vision related QoL questionnaire, the highest impact of visual recovery after cataract surgery was improvement with mobility in almost 80% of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has demonstrated improvement in vision related quality of life and visual function, resulting in rapid recovery of the patient's functional independence and health status following manual SICS. Small incision cataract surgery should therefore be offered to more patients in the African sub-region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University College Hospital Ibadan Nigeria.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Olawoye
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ashaye
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bekibele
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ajuwon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D014792:Visual Acuity