title: The pain experience and cooperation of patients in consecutive cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the pain experience and the cooperation of patients during consecutive cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective, randomized study, 60 consecutive adult patients with bilateral senile cataracts were recruited. All operations were performed with clear corneal phacoemulsification (phaco) technique under topical and intracameral anesthesia without sedation. The first surgery was performed in the eye with high-grade cataract. The other eye was operated within 3 months. Every patient was graded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable pain) after the surgery. The cooperation of the patient was graded from 0 (no event) to 3 (marked eye and head movement and lid squeezing) by the surgeon. The VAS scores and cooperation of patients were the main outcome measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean VAS score was 1.50± 0.81 in the first surgery and 2.15±0.79 in the other eye surgery (p<0.001). The patient cooperation score was 1.50±0.81 in the first surgery and 2.18±0.77 in the other eye surgery (p<0.001). The VAS and patient cooperation scores were positively correlated (r=0.633, p<0.001) in the study group. The VAS and patient cooperation scores were similar based on sex and laterality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who previously underwent phaco surgery in one eye experience more pain and have worse cooperation during the other eye phaco surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey. lokaslan46@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Lokman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aslankurt
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cekic
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yildiz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods; D058447:Eye Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010349:Patient Compliance; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies