A recent study found that six months after cataract surgery, 32% of patients continue to experience persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) and have mild or greater dry eye (DE)–like symptoms.

After examining the DE symptom information of 86 patients post-cataract surgery, researchers found a third of subjects had mild or greater PPP after six months, and 10% reported severe symptoms.

According to the study, “patients with DE-like symptoms after cataract extraction also had higher ocular pain scores and specific ocular complaints (ocular burning, sensitivity to wind and light) compared with controls with no symptoms.” A diagnosis of non-ocular pain increased the risk of DE-like symptoms after surgery, they said.

The study concludes that the “prevalence of severe PPP is in line with that of refractive surgery, dental implants and genitourinary procedures.”