Abstract / Summary
Purpose:To investigate changes in depression, anxiety, and stress before and during the early postoperative period following cataract surgery using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire.Materials and Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted on 103 patients who underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation at Pamukkale University Ophthalmology Department between May and December 2025. Depression, anxiety, and stress levels were assessed using the Turkish version of the DASS-21 questionnaire preoperatively and on postoperative day 10. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was recorded at both visits and converted to logMAR values. Preoperative and postoperative evaluations were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and correlations between changes in BCVA and DASS-21 scores were evaluated using correlation analyses.Results:The study included 44 (42.7%) men and 59 (57.3%) women with a mean age of 68.04 ± 12.06 years. Mean BCVA improved significantly from 1.31 ± 0.93 logMAR preoperatively to 0.19 ± 0.26 logMAR postoperatively (p < 0.001). Anxiety scores decreased significantly from 3.51 ± 3.03 to 3.09 ± 3.13 (p < 0.001), and stress scores decreased from 3.66 ± 3.03 to 3.24 ± 3.24 (p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed in depression scores between the preoperative and postoperative assessments (2.94 ± 3.02 vs. 2.93 ± 3.17, p = 0.800). Changes in BCVA were not significantly correlated with changes in depression, anxiety, or stress scores (all p > 0.05).Conclusion:Cataract surgery was associated with significant reductions in anxiety and stress during the early postoperative period, whereas depression scores remained unchanged. The absence of improvement in depressive symptoms may be related to the short follow-up period. Additional studies with longer-term follow-up are needed to clarify the long-term psychological effects of cataract surgery.