title: A retrospective study on the outcomes of cataract surgery in an Eastern Regional Health Authority hospital of Trinidad and Tobago.
abstract: Background. Worldwide, cataract is a major cause of blindness. The paper aims to evaluate factors associated with borderline and poor outcomes of cataract surgery at an Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) hospital in Trinidad and Tobago. Materials and Methods. A hospital-based, retrospective study was done on 401 patients who had undergone cataract surgery (unilateral and bilateral) at an ERHA Hospital between March 2009 and September 2014. Data was collected on variables concerning demographic, medical history, surgical history, ocular findings and visual acuity (VA). The outcome variable of interest was Snellen's post-operative (presenting) VA which was transformed into a dichotomous variable with borderline and poor outcomes as one and good outcomes as the other. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results. Good outcome (presenting VA 6/18 or better) was seen in 350 (67%) eyes. The fitted model consisted of ocular co-morbidity (OR =2.133; 95% CI [1.346-3.380]), hypertension (OR = 0.520; 95% CI [0.381-0.928]), surgical procedure (OR = 1.56; 95% CI [1.004-2.425]), good preoperative VA (OR = 0.388, 95% CI [0.211-0.714]), borderline preoperative VA (OR = 0.485; 95% CI = [0.278-0.843]) and year of first visit to clinic (OR = 2.243; 95% CI [1.215-4.141]). Conclusion. There is a need for community-based outreach to increase awareness of eye health and diseases. It is recommended that the general population is encouraged to take responsibility for personal management. The facilities at the Hospital should also be enhanced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies , St. Augustine , Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Ebiakpo-Aboere
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Sonron
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies , St. Augustine , Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Vrijesh
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Sangre Grande Hospital, Eastern Regional Health Authority , Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bridgemohan
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Visual Sciences, The University of the West Indies , St. Augustine , Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Subash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
keywords: Cataract surgery; Logistic regression; Ocular co-morbidity; Visual outcomes