Eyeworld

165 EW INTERNATIONAL April 2017 by Stefanie Petrou Binder, MD, EyeWorld Contributing Writer may feel easily fatigued. The test takes 5 to 7 minutes to complete. How first-eye cataract surgery can do wonders for your patients' state of mind E lderly patients demonstrate definite signs of mental depression as their vision begins to ebb due to cata- ract. Restoring vision is an important factor in reducing these symptoms of depression. Elderly patients exhibited a statistically significant increase in depressive symptoms in the time between the loss of visual acuity and first-eye cataract surgery, according to a study conducted to determine the poten- tial impact of visual acuity on the occurrence of depressive symptoms in elderly patients before and after first-eye cataract surgery. "Vision loss among the elderly is a major healthcare problem. Ap- proximately one person in three has some form of vision-reducing eye disease by 65 years of age. Senile cat- aract continues to be the main cause of visual impairment and blindness in the world. Cataracts typically progress slowly to cause vision loss, and depending on the type of cata- ract and its progression, during the 6- to 12-month waiting period for surgery, patients need to continually adapt to the loss of visual acuity. Phased loss of vision and complete loss can have a major impact on patients who are diagnosed with senile cataract. Depressive symptoms are present in patients from the time of IOL blur, with a gradual loss of vi- sual acuity, to the surgical interven- tion," said Svetlana Jovanovic, MD, Kragujevac University Eye Clinic, Kragujevac, Serbia, who presented her study poster at the Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September 2016. Dr. Jovanovic's study was con- ducted from May 2014 to May 2015 at the University Eye Clinic, Kragu- jevac. Study participants completed a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaire 2 weeks prior to sur- gery and again 4 weeks after sur- gery. She opted for the shorter test composed of 15 questions (GDS-15), which is generally used with ill and mild to moderately senile patients who have short attention spans and Phased vision loss can increase depressive symptoms APX 200 Pupil Expander • Fast and easy to insert and remove • No intraocular manipulations • Does not interfere with surgery Visit FCI-Ophthalmics.com to See the APX 200 in Surgery or Call 800-932-4202 to Order ACTUAL SIZE One Small Pupil at a Time Expanding Your Vision continued on page 167 Presentation spotlight Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, residents. From left: Svetlana Jovanovic MD, Phd, Zorica Jovanovic MD, Phd, Nela Djonovic MD, Phd, and Filip Radotic, M.Sc. Source: Svetlana Jovanovic, MD

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)