ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of Nd:YAG (neodymium: yttrium-aluminum- garnet) laser unilateral posterior capsulotomy on visual acuity and patients' perception of difficulties with vision-related activities of daily life. METHODS: We conducted an interventional survey that included 48 patients between 40 and 80 years of age with uni- or bilateral pseudophakia, posterior capsule opacification, and visual acuity <0.30 (logMAR) in one eye who were seen at a Brazilian university hospital. All patients underwent posterior capsulotomy using an Nd:YAG laser. Before and after the intervention, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire that was developed in an exploratory study. RESULTS: Before posterior capsulotomy, the median visual acuity (logMAR) of the included patients was 0.52 (range 0.30-1.60). After posterior capsulotomy, the median visual acuity of the included patients improved to 0.10 (range 0.0-0.52). According to the subjects' perceptions, their ability to perform most of their daily life activities improved after the intervention (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After patients underwent posterior capsulotomy with an Nd:YAG laser, a significant improvement in the visual acuity of the treated eye was observed. Additionally, subjects felt that they experienced less difficulty performing most of their vision-dependent activities of daily living.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Activities of Daily Living , Capsule Opacification/surgery , Cataract Extraction/methods , Laser Therapy/methods , Lens Capsule, Crystalline/surgery , Visual Acuity/physiology , Brazil , Cross-Sectional Studies , Capsule Opacification/physiopathology , Cataract Extraction/adverse effects , Lasers, Solid-State/therapeutic use , Pseudophakia/physiopathology , Pseudophakia/surgery , Quality of Life , Surveys and Questionnaires , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Os autores relatam os resultados da criaçäo de um Banco de óculos e laboratório óptico com equipamento básico para montagem de óculos de baixo custo no Serviço Satélite de Oftalmologia da UNICAMP em Divinolândia, SP A óptica, inalgurada em 1988, atende a populaçäo clínica de Divinolândia, pobre em sua grande maioria. Até dezembro de 1993 foram confeccionados 4623 pares de óculos, doados ou vendidos pelo preço de US$7 a 10, com entrega média entre 2 horas a 4 dias após o exame. Propöe-se criaçäo de serviços semelhantes em Hospitais Públicos e universitários para fornecimento de óculos gratuitos ou a preço de custo às pessoas carentes.