Posters
Fear of blindness in patients undergoing cataract surgery
Poster Details
First Author: S.Konjevoda CROATIA
Co Author(s): S. Konjevoda M. Skara Kolega A. Didović Pavičić D. Grasic N. Striber Z. Pastar P. Kovacevic
Abstract Details
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to establish the predominant fear in patients undergoing cataract surgery.
Setting:
Department of Ophthalmology, Zadar General Hospital, Zadar, Croatia
2Department of Health Studies, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Methods:
We examined 152 patients in this cross-sectional study. We used self-designed questionnaires to examine the emotions of fear, anxiety, nervousness, gratitude and insecurity immediately before cataract surgery. The fear of blindness was compared with other life fears such as cancer, memory loss, AIDS, stroke and heart attack. The emotion of fear was compared in patients having had previous cataract surgery with those undergoing their first cataract surgery.
Including criteria were adults with senile cataract. Excluding criteria was ocular co-morbidity, psychiatric disorders, inability to read, deafness and surgery under general anesthesia. Completed questionnaires were analyzed. Pearson's chi-squared test was used.
Results:
Fear was the most frequent emotion before cataract surgery, in 55.3% (p<0.05). Blindness was the greatest fear during cataract surgery in 55.3% (<0.05). Fear in patients having undergone their first cataract surgery was not statistically significant in comparison to patients experiences before their second cataract surgery (p<0.077). The greatest life fear in our study was blindness in 47.4%.
Conclusions:
Fear is the predominant emotion before cataract surgery which we can connect to the biggest fear being blindness, which was also shown to be the leading life fear, in general. We need to give proper and informed preoperative counseling to patients before cataract surgery in order to reduce fear, and to establish a trusting doctor-patient relationship.
Financial Disclosure:
NONE
