Overview
A more holistic understanding of the benefits of sight-restoring cataract surgery requires a focus that goes beyond income and employment, to include a wider array of well-being measures. The objective of this study was to examine the monetary and non-monetary benefits of cataract surgery on both patients as well as their caregivers in Vietnam. Participants were randomly recruited from a Ho-Chi-Minh City Hospital. A total of 82 cataract patients and 83 caregivers participated in the survey conducted for this study.
The project found improvements in monetary and non-monetary measures of well-being for both patients and caregivers approximately three months after undergoing cataract surgery, compared with baseline assessments collected prior to surgery. Non-monetary measures of well-being include self-assessments of overall health, mental health, hope, self-efficacy, happiness and life satisfaction.
For patients, the benefits included statistically significant improvements in earnings, mobility, self-care, the ability to undertake daily activities, self-assessed health and mental health, life satisfaction, hope, and self-efficacy. For caregivers, attendance at work improved alongside overall health, mental health, hope, self-efficacy, happiness and life satisfaction, three months post-surgery.
Partners
- The Fred Hollows Foundation
- Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Publications
- Feeny, S., Posso, A., McDonald, L., Troung, C., Tung, S. (2018), Beyond Monetary Benefits of Restoring Sight in Vietnam: Evaluating Well-being Gains from Cataract Surgery, PLOS One, February 2018.
Research projects
We conduct research that leads to the design of innovative, evidence-based policies that promote sustainable improvements in the quality of peoples’ lives and maximise the benefits from international trade.
