Enhancing Functional Vision In Cataract Patients: A Necessity With A Direct Impact On Quality Of Life

The subject of functional vision has received increasing attention from ophthalmologists. Therefore, as nursing is also focused on meeting the needs of patients and preserving their autonomy and improving their quality of life, this also becomes a sensitive area for the profession. The importance of vision is reported by the WHO, and there are also studies in geriatrics and psychiatry that demonstrate the negative impact of visual deficits on patients' mental health and reduced autonomy. Nursing's role in meeting patients' visual needs can thus play a major role in the early diagnosis of each patient's needs in accordance with their activities of daily living, with a consequent direct impact on an active and healthy lifestyle.

Hospitals and Clinics with Perioperative Nursing consultation.

To carry out this work, a literature review was carried out on the impact of visual impairment in patients with cataract pathology on the patient's quality of life and satisfaction of their needs, the Definition of Nursing in the light of Virginia Henderson's Theory and the Role of Nursing in the promotion of functional vision in patients with cataracts.

Although there are there are not many studies that demonstrate the importance of the nurse's role in promoting functional vision in cataract patients, it is a fact that perioperative ophthalmology nursing consultations are an autonomous area of the profession, where it is possible to make nursing diagnoses, carry out a survey of patients' needs, which can be used/discussed by the multidisciplinary team and with the patient, and carry out patient training.

Nursing has a leading role to play in assessing and diagnosing patients' needs and in teaching and empowering patients.

As a profession that is part of a multidisciplinary team, understanding the visual needs of patients in order to promote an autonomous and quality lifestyle and making data measurable through the use of scales, allows to ensure that patient data are recorded and available for future therapeutic decision by the clinician.