Some clinical and epidemiological aspects of the preoperative period in the senile cataract surgery

OBJECTIVE: To identify the main clinical and epidemic characteristics of the patient with senile cataract in the preoperative period. METHODS: A descriptive and retrospective study was conducted in patients operated from senile cataract, who were randomly selected in the period of June 2006 to June 2007 at Dr. "Salvador Allende" teaching hospital. Age, sex, related systemic and ocular diseases, preoperative visual acuity and associated refraction errors were analyzed. RESULTS: The 70-79 years age prevailed in 68.58 % of the cases without sex differences. The associated systemic disease was seen in 92.94 % of patients, with blood hypertension (44.9 %) and diabetes mellitus being predominant. Among the ocular disorders, the optic nerve lesion (25.64 %) and the Chronic Glaucoma (21.15 %) were the most frequent problems. The predominant preoperative vision was 0.1 (25.64 %) whereas myopia (72.41 %) and astigmatism (61.64 %) were more common in patients with nuclear Cataract (72.41 %) and hypermetropia (66.66 %) was mostly found in those affected by subcapsular cataract. CONCLUSIONS: The prevailing age group was 70 to 74 years regardless of sex. The blood hypertension was the most frequent systemic disease, and the optic nerve alterations in the ocular disorders. The preoperative visual acuity was 0.1. Myopia and astigmatism were associated to the nuclear cataract and hypermetropia to subcapsular cataract.