Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the frequency and risk factors for persistent post-surgical pain (PPP) after cataract surgery, defined as mild or greater dry eye (DE)-like symptoms 6 months after surgery.
Methods :
The single center study population included 86 individuals who had cataract surgery between June-October 2016 and had DE symptom information available 6 months after surgery. Patients were divided into 2 groups: controls were defined as those without DE symptoms 6 months after surgery (defined by a Dry Eye Questionnaire 5 (DEQ5) score<6), cases were defined as those with mild or greater DE-like symptoms 6 months after surgery (DEQ5≥6).
Results :
The mean age of the study population was 71 years±8.6; 95% (n=82) were male. DE-like symptoms were reported in 32% (n=27) of individuals 6 months after cataract surgery; 10% (n=8) reported severe symptoms (DEQ5≥12). Patients with DE-like symptoms after cataract extraction (CE) also had higher ocular pain scores, and specific ocular complaints (ocular burning, sensitivity to wind and light) compared to controls with no symptoms. A diagnosis of non-ocular pain increased the risk of DE-like symptoms after cataract surgery (OR 4.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.58-12.1, P=0.005).
Conclusions :
Mild or greater PPP occurred in approximately 1/3 of individuals after cataract surgery. The prevalence of severe PPP is in line with that of refractive surgery, dental implants, and genitourinary procedures.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.