Orient Journal of Surgical Sciences

Objective: To compare the outcome of unilateral versus bilateral simultaneous cataract surgery at the Guinness Eye Center Onitsha, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: The visual outcome and complications rates in patients who had bilateral simultaneous cataract surgery (BSCS) intraocular lens implant between 01 January, 2014 and 31 December, 2016 and had been followed up for 6 months were compared with those who had unilateral cataract surgery (UCS) within the same period. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, domicile, pre-operative visual acuity, visual acuity on last follow up, intra-operative complications, post-operative complications and causes of poor vision were analyzed.

Results: Thirty nine patients with bilateral simultaneous surgery and 142 with uniocular surgery were studied. The age range was 6 – 93 years, median – 66years. There were 104 males (57.5%). Pre-operatively 62 (79.5%) and 134 (94.4%) eyes had visual acuity <3/60 in bilateral and uniocular surgery patients respectively. Post-operatively, 36 (46.1%) and 60 (42.3%) eyes of bilateral and uniocular surgery patients respectively had unaided acuity ≥6/18. Post-operative acuity significantly improved in both unilateral (X² = 9.626; p<0.05) and bilateral (X² = 9.556; p<0.05) surgeries. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement in visual acuity between unilateral and bilateral surgeries (X² = 0.562; p>0.05)
Intra-operatively, vitreous loss occurred in one (1.3%) BSCS and 2 (1.4%) UCS patients. Post-operatively posterior capsule opacification occurred in 10(12.8%) and 22 (15.5%) eyes of bilateral and uniocular surgery patients respectively. Recurrent uveitis occurred in 8 (10.3%) and 13 (9.2%)eyes of bilateral and uniocular surgery patients respectively. Post-operative endophthalmitis occurred in one (0.7%) eye of a uniocular surgery patient.