Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the financial burden to patients in consequence of adhering to the activity restrictions recommended following cataract surgery.
Methods :
This is a prospective, single-center study. A convenience sample was obtained from patients presenting to the ophthalmology clinic for their week one appointment following cataract surgery by one of two surgeons from 11/2/2017-12/1/2017 in the state of Kentucky. Patients who elected to participate were given a survey inquiring about their activities following surgery, including time taken off from paid employment due to the recommended activity restrictions. The financial impact was calculated converting hours of work missed to total lost wages using the Bureau of Labor Statistics mean hourly wage for all occupations in the state of Kentucky for 2017 ($20.39/hour).
Results :
Of the 61 surveys completed, 15 (25%) patients reported taking time off paid employment due to the activity restrictions (294 hours total). The mean hours taken off work per patient in this group was 19.6 with a median of 8 hours. Including all patients in our sample, the mean hours taken off work per patient was 4.8. Converted to lost patient wages, this equates to $5994.66 total, $399.64 mean per patient taking off work, $163.12 median per patient taking off work, and a mean of $98.27 across all patients in our sample.
Conclusions :
Despite acknowledged limitations including small sample size, recall bias, and the use of averaged hourly wage data, this study demonstrates one potential negative impact of activity restrictions on patients following cataract surgery. As the average age of retirement in the United States increases, the average age of patients undergoing cataract surgery decreases. Naturally, an increasing percentage of employed patients would be expected to undergo cataract surgery in the coming years. Many studies have questioned the utility of post-operative activity restrictions, including cataract surgery. The potential financial impact on patients undergoing cataract surgery may provide additional motivation to reexamine the necessity of imposed activity restrictions following cataract surgery. There is a need for a large, multiregional sample totaling actual wages lost due to post-operative restrictions to more accurately quantify the financial impact to patients.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.