RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate parenting stress following infants' cataract extraction surgery, and to determine if levels of stress differ between 2 treatments for unilateral congenital cataract in a randomized clinical trial. METHODS: At surgery, an intraocular lens (IOL) was implanted or children were left aphakic, treated with contact lens (CL). Stress measures were administered 3 months after surgery and at the first visit after the visual acuity (VA) assessment done at 12 months of age. RESULTS: Caregivers in the IOL group reported higher levels of stress than those in the CL group 3 months after surgery, but there were no group differences in stress scores at the post-VA assessment. Stress scores did not change differentially for participants assigned to IOL versus CL treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment assignment did not have a significant impact on caregiver stress during infancy or on the change in stress during the child's first 2 years of life.
