Posters

Psychological evaluation in ophthalmologic office

Poster Details

First Author: P.Patel INDIA

Co Author(s):    R. Shetty   P. Khamar                 

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To study the importance of pre-operative psychological and personality evaluation and its impact on refractive surgery outcomes.

Setting:

Narayana Nethralaya Superspeciality Eye hospital, Bangalore.

Methods:

250 patients were retrospectively assessed after refractive surgery for satisfaction using Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) Questionnaire.7 patients were unhappy, with poor quality of life score despite good clinical and visual outcomes. These patients undertook the Eyesenck’s Personality inventory questionnaire that classifies personalities based on extroversion & neuroticism traits and also gives a falsification scores to ensure validity of answers. Unhappy patients were found to have high neuroticism scores & had orthoptic imbalance (accommodation/convergence excess, vergence insufficiency) leading to visual symptoms and dissatisfaction. Consequently,we conducted a prospective study of 300 patients filling the EPI prior to surgery.

Results:

Patients who had high neuroticism scores preoperatively received detailed counselling, special consent and were operated on with caution after orthoptic assessment. Some required psychological counselling & orthoptics exercises perioperatively. 4 patients were asked to defer surgery due to unstable behaviour.

Conclusions:

Personality traits impact a patient’s perception of surgical outcomes and quality of life. Patients with higher neuroticism scores may benefit from pre-operative extra counselling, anxiolytics, and post-operative orthoptic exercises.

Financial Disclosure:

None