Visual outcome of cataract surgery from a free outreach camp among rural areas of Southern-Kaduna, Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the visual outcome of those who underwent free cataract surgery in southern senatorial zone of Kaduna State between September and November 2018, and to identify the causes of poor visual outcome (Visual acuity [VA] <6/60 Post op), suggest ways of improving it and comparing findings of this study with other studies. Materials and Methods: An observational study of consecutive patients with dense cataracts and VA >6/60 who underwent manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) with intraocular lens implant (IOL). All patients had posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implant after cataract extraction except 6 who had anterior chamber intraocular lens. A total of 116 eyes of 116 patients who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study but only 109 were followed up for 8 weeks postoperatively. Their VA pre-operative was noted. Postoperatively, 1st day, 1,and 8 weeks presenting VA were noted while best corrected VA (BCVA) at 1 week and 8 weeks were also noted. Information collected was analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 19. A 95% significant confidence interval was used, that is, P < 0.05. Results: Age range of patients in this study was 40–80 years with a male to female ratio of 1.02:1. All patients presented pre-operatively with poor vision (VA >6/60) but after surgery 27.3%, 42.2%, and 56.6% of patients had good vision (VA 6/6–6/18) on 1st day, 1 week, and 8 weeks post-operatively, respectively, with a BCVA in 75.6% of study population. Complications such as corneal edema, posterior capsule rent, iris tear, cortical remnants, and uncorrected residual refractive errors contributed to poor visual outcome (VA <6/60) 8 weeks after surgery. Conclusion: MSICS was effective in restoring visual loss from cataract. Even though the WHO standard was not achieved in this study, provision of required technology for pre-operative preparation and post-operative follow-up along with improvement in surgical techniques will improve visual outcome after cataract surgery.