Being posted for cataract surgery can be source of anxiety for the patient. This study was conducted to assess the presence of anxiety symptoms and their correlations with various socio-demographic variables in patients posted for cataract surgery. It was a cross-sectional, non-randomized, single interview study. 50 consecutive patients posted for cataract surgery were included. Each patient was individually interviewed using a semi-structured proforma prepared for the study which included sociodemographic profile, clinical and psychiatric profile and ophthalmological diagnosis. To assess various domains of anxiety, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was administered. About 80% of patients reported at least 2 or more anxiety symptoms but most of these symptoms were transient in nature. 92% had anxiety scores less than or equal to 13 on HAM-A. Only 14% patients reported worries on MSE. We did not found a diagnosable anxiety disorder in patients posted for cataract study. Only 8% of subjects had mild to moderate scores on Hamilton anxiety rating scale. Also the patients with mature cataract have statistically significant correlation with HAM-A scores.
Anxiety, Cataract, Surgery
