The impact of various factors on the occurrence and type of visual experiences during the cataract surgery

Aims: The aim was to check whether there is a relationship between ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic concomitant diseases and visual experiences during surgery. In addition, we wanted to verify whether visual experiences are influenced by such factors as age, gender, education, stress, etc. Methods: The patients phoned a few days after the surgery in order to be interviewed post-operatively by a 30-question questionnaire. Questions were asked on demographic data, concomitant diseases, both ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic, emotional and visual experiences during the cataract surgery p-value was calculated from the Chi-Square Test. Results: The study comprised 121 women and 87 men. 63.9% of patients underwent cataract surgery for the first time. Among 208 respondents 73 (35.1%) had light impressions and 77 (37%) reported visual impressions. Patients under 60 were more likely to experience both light and visual impressions (p < 0.05). Particular visual defects and concomitant diseases, both ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic, can influence the type of visual experiences. Stress was positively correlated with the occurrence of both light and visual impressions (p < 0.05) but it did not influence the exact type of visual experiences. For half of the respondents (51.0%), the impressions seen during the surgery were neutral. Only 14.4% of patients assessed these sensations as pleasant. Conclusion: Patients experienced a variety of visual sensations, which are not usually unpleasant, however they occurred more often among stressed patients and could also raise the stress level. Proper preoperative counselling is needed to help patients cope with the stress before surgery.