Predictive Value of One-Week Postoperative Visual Acuity for Short-Term Outcomes Following Phacoemulsification

Cataract remains a primary cause of global visual impairment, necessitating efficient surgical interventions and predictable recovery outcomes. Early assessment of visual acuity trajectories is essential for optimizing postoperative management and patient counseling in high-volume clinical settings. To evaluate the predictive value of early postoperative visual acuity (VA) at one week for short-term visual outcomes at one month following phacoemulsification with foldable intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. This retrospective clinical study analyzed 42 eyes of 42 patients who underwent phacoemulsification. The surgical protocol utilized the Nagahara phaco chop technique through a 2.75 mm clear corneal incision, followed by the implantation of a single-piece foldable hydrophilic acrylic IOL. Visual acuity was assessed preoperatively (baseline), at one week, and at one month postoperatively. All VA measurements were converted to the Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (LogMAR) scale for statistical linearity. Data analysis included the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman correlation, and linear regression modeling. The mean age was 64.6±10.6 years. Mean LogMAR VA improved significantly from 0.437±0.332 at baseline to 0.374±0.227 at one week (p=0.041) and reached 0.306±0.210 at one month (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was identified between 1-week and 1-month LogMAR VA (r = 0.532, p = 0.0003). Linear regression analysis yielded a predictive model (Y(1mo) = 0.122 + 0.492X(1wk)) with an R-squared value of 0.283, indicating that early visual status explains approximately 28% of the short-term outcome variance. While perioperative complications occurred in 9.5% of cases, the majority of eyes achieved stable visual recovery by the one-month follow-up. Early postoperative visual acuity at one week is a valid prognostic indicator for one-month outcomes. This predictive relationship provides clinicians with a pragmatic tool for early recovery categorization and patient counseling, particularly in high-volume settings where long-term follow-up adherence may be limited. Keywords : Phacoemulsification, LogMAR, Foldable IOL, Predictive Value, Nagahara Phaco Chop.