Visual Outcomes, Quality of Life and Satisfaction After Phacoemulsification in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Patients Without Diabetes

Abstract BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy (DR) and cataract are major complications that lead to significant visual impairment of diabetic patients. This study aims to compare the changes in visual acuity, quality of life and satisfaction after phacoemulsification between type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic patients.MethodsFifty-seven diabetic patients (37 with no diabetic retinopathy [DR], 11 with mild/moderate nonproliferative DR and 9 with severe nonproliferative/proliferative DR) and 45 controls were submitted to first-eye cataract surgery by phacoemulsification alone or with co-adjuvant intravitreal injection of bevacizumab or triamcinolone. National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) was recorded preoperatively and 6 months after surgery; and satisfaction evaluated at 1-month. ResultsCorrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of the operated eye at 1 and 6-months (p<0.001) was significantly higher than preoperative value in the controls and all diabetic subgroups. The final CDVA in the severe nonproliferative/proliferative DR subgroup was significantly lower compared to the controls and the remaining diabetic subgroups (p0.05). Overall patient satisfaction was 93% in both control and diabetic groups. ConclusionThis study provides vision-related patient-reported outcomes that support the benefit from phacoemulsification in all stages of DR, as long as there is adequate monitoring and treatment of retinopathy.