Refractive stability and timing of spectacle prescription following cataract surgery in myopic eyes

To investigate the post-operative refractive stabilisation time and provide evidence for the optimal timing of a spectacle prescription in myopic post-cataract surgery patients.

A total of 116 consecutive myopic cataract patients were recruited from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in this prospective study. Post-operative subjective refraction was assessed after 1 week and 1 month (4–6 weeks), with the interval for the new spectacle acquisition being recorded. Visual Function Index-14 (VF-14) questionnaires were used to assess the vision-related quality of life.

There was no significant difference in spherical (p = 0.33), cylindrical (p = 0.65) or spherical equivalent refractions (p = 0.45) obtained 1 week and 1 month post-operatively, indicating that subjects achieved refractive stability within 1 week. In subgroups having differing age and axial lengths, there were also no significant differences between the 1 week and 1 month findings. The spherical equivalent refractive shift between 1 week and 1 month was significantly correlated with the post-operative prediction error (R = 0.35; p < 0.001). Only five (4.3%) out of 116 patients obtained new spectacles 1 week post-surgery. The VF-14 values improved from 85.77 ± 7.24 to 90.45 ± 5.39 after acquiring new spectacles (p < 0.01).

The stabilisation of subjective refraction occurred within 1 week in myopic cataract patients. Shortening the interval before prescribing a new spectacle prescription is recommended for myopic patients following cataract surgery to improve their vision-related quality of life.