The Importance Of Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are most commonly due to aging but may also occur due to trauma or radiation exposure, be present from birth, or occur following eye surgery for other problems.[1][2] Risk factors include diabetes, smoking tobacco, prolonged exposure to sunlight, and alcohol. Either clumps of protein or yellow-brown pigment may be deposited in the lens reducing the transmission of light to the retina at the back of the eye. Diagnosis is by an eye examination.[3]. In any society, a patient’s visual function (VF), which is a measurement of the important vision‑dependent tasks or she can do, is a more important measure of the need for cataract surgery .[2] The impact on VF is related to patient‑perceived outcomes and has become a significant factor in

This has been proven in this study that shows that despite growing age and low vision, the study population was gainfully employed and expected to be able to do so after cataract surgery. The study also shows that though the quality of life of the patients was compromised yet, reasonable VF permitted them to continue working because of the nature of their job that does not require fine acuity of vision. The results of our study show that even though majority (62%) of the study population was more than60 years old, most of them (88%) were gainfully employed. Other studies conducted in developing countries have reported similar observations.[11]. An African study had reported a similar age at a presentation at 66.5 years[12] where as Conner‑Spady et al. had reported the mean age of patients in Canada to be 73.4 years.[13]The fact that the study population had severe visual impairment and yet they were going out to work brings out the fact that despite low vision, they were not only independent in their daily activities but also contributed economically toward their households. It also indicates that the profession in which the study population was engaged does not require fine acuity of vision. Farm laborers pull out weeds from among the crop that is done with bare handsand does not require the use of sharp instruments. The attitude of the study population toward their visual incapacity reinforces the observations of a study conducted in Egypt that had concluded that stigmatizing attitudes that the blind are completely dependent and unable to fulfill their social roles encourage those with decreased vision to deny the extent of their visual