The Impact of Cataract Surgery on Cognitive Impairment and Depressive Mental Status in Elderly Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of cataract surgery on cognitive function and depressive mental status of elderly patients.

Design: Prospective, interventional case series.

Methods: The 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) are the measures designed to assess vision-related quality of life (QOL), cognitive impairment, and depressive mental status, respectively. These tests were performed before and two months after surgery in 102 patients undergoing phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation for bilateral cataract.

Results: The change in best-corrected visual acuity by surgery significantly correlated with the change in NEI VFQ-25 score (Pearson correlation, r = -0.310; P = .031). The change in NEI VFQ-25 score by surgery significantly correlated with the change in MMSE score (r = 0.306; P = .035) and the change in BDI score (r = -0.414; P < .001). The change in MMSE score showed significant correlation with the change in BDI score (r = -0.434; P < .001).

Conclusions: Vision-related QOL, cognitive impairment, and depressive mental status are all strongly related with each other. Cataract surgery significantly improved vision-related QOL in elderly patients, and cognitive impairment and depressive mental status also improved in parallel with improvement in vision-related QOL.