Predicting activity and satisfaction following cataract surgery.

This was the second in a series of studies intended to develop a method for predicting the degree of recovery and satisfaction of elderly patients following cataract surgery. Sixty-six patients (mean age, 68 years; 27 men and 39 women) completed an activity questionnaire and a series of walking, reaching, and hand-eye coordination tasks 1 day prior to cataract surgery. An average of 6 months later, the patients completed the activity questionnaire and some of the motor tasks again and then made a four-point assessment of satisfaction with their recovery. Postoperative reaching, walking, activity, and satisfaction ere all positively correlated with scores on some of the preoperative tasks. Together with earlier published data, these data also show that patients report less postoperative activity after an eyeglass correction than after a lens-implant or contact-lens correction.