Time to recovery following cataract surgery and its predictors among patients undergoing surgery at two selected Public Hospitals in Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Cataract surgery is a commonly performed procedure aimed at restoring vision in individuals affected by cataracts. The duration of recovery following cataract surgery can vary among patients and is influenced by a multitude of factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the time to recovery from cataracts and its predictors among patients treated with cataract surgery at two selected Public Hospitals in Hawassa, Sidama regional state, Ethiopia.

Methods: Institution-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 444 cataract patients treated with surgery from January 01, 2019, to December 30, 2021. A simple random sampling method was used to select two public hospitals. The data was collected using Kobo toolbox Version 4 and trained data collectors. STATA Version 16 was used for analysis. To estimate the recovery time and compare survival probability among variables Kaplan-Meir curve and Log-rank test were used. The cox-Proportional hazards model was used to identify significant predictors of time to recovery. The association was reported using the adjusted hazards ratio (AHR) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and the significance level was set at a p-value of 0.05.

Results: This study showed that 76.14% of cataract patients recovered from cataracts. The average time taken to recover from a cataract was 30 weeks (IQR = 15 to 48) 95%, CI, (26-33). Age 40-60 years (AHR = 2.04 CI; 1.12-3.82), urban dwellers (AHR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.13-1.93), medium/high level of visual acuity (AHR = 1.49 CI; 1.14-1.94), secondary cataract (AHR = 1.56 CI; 1.11-2.18) and traumatic cataract (AHR = 1.82 CI; 1.32-2.52) were associated with time to recovery of cataract patients.

Conclusions: According to this study, the time to recovery of cataract patients was slightly high. Cataract patients' time to recovery was affected by age, residence, pre-operative visual acuity, presence of diabetes mellitus, and post-operative complications. To improve recovery time of cataract patients, treatment strategies must be prioritized.

Fig 1. Comorbid medical diseases before or after cataract surgery of the study participants admitted at two selected Public Hospitals in Hawassa, Sidama Ethiopia, 2023. (n = 416).

Fig 2. Overall Kaplan-Meier survival estimate of recovery time among cataract patients treated with cataract surgery at two selected Public Hospitals in Hawassa, Ethiopia, 2023. (n = 416).

Fig 3. Kaplan-Meier survival estimate for time to recovery among cataract patients treated with cataract surgery, sub grouped by diabetic mellitus status.

(n = 416).

Fig 4. Kaplan-Meier survival estimate for time to recovery among cataract patients treated with cataract surgery, sub grouped by residence.

(n = 416).

Fig 5. Kaplan-Meier survival estimate for time to recovery among cataract patients treated with cataract surgery, sub grouped by post-operative complication. (n = 416).

Fig 6. Kaplan-Meier survival estimate for time to recovery among cataract patients treated with cataract surgery, sub grouped by presurgical visual acuity. (n = 416).