Visual outcome and associated risk factors in patients following small incision cataract surgery at the National Referral Hospital, Bhutan

PurposeTo evaluate small incision cataract surgery visual outcomes and associated risk factors in a tertiary eye care center in Bhutan. MethodsThis was a hospital-based prospective longitudinal study. A total of 310 patients who met the eligibility criteria were included in the study. ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 68.36 (SD: 12.74 years), and 157 (50.6%) were male. 285 (91.94%) of the cataract-operated eyes had best-corrected vision greater than 6/60, while 25 (8.06%) of the eyes had vision less than 6/60. 47 individuals (15.16%) had pre-existing ocular co-morbidity. Intraoperative complications were seen in 19 eyes (6%). At the 6-week follow-up visit, based on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), 90.65% had a good visual outcome. Analysis of multiple logistic regression showed that patients with preoperative ocular comorbidities (OR 50.92; 95% CI 10.23, 253.37) and those with operative complications (OR 16.59; 95% CI 3.54, 77.70) were significantly associated with poor visual outcome. ConclusionsThis study shows that cataract surgery can restore good visual acuity. However, patients should be followed up on for a longer period, and greater emphasis should be given to monitoring outcomes after cataract surgery.