Effects of Age and Gender on Acute Postoperative Pain after Cataract Surgery under Topical Anesthesia and Sedation

Pain is often managed inadequately and there is no general agreement on the effects of age and gender in pain perception. We performed this study to evaluate the effects of age and gender on acute postoperative pain after cataract surgery.
In this descriptive study, 400 candidates for cataract surgeries were randomly allocated to three age groups (group 1: 20-39, group 2: 40-59, and group 3: 60-70 years old). Topical anesthesia and intravenous sedation were performed in the same manner in all the groups. Pain intensity and additional opioid consumption were assessed just before anesthesia, on arrival to the recovery room, and 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes after arrival to the recovery room.
Findings: According to visual analog scale (VAS), 45 minutes postoperatively, pain intensity was significantly higher in women (2.0 ± 1.6) than men (1.9 ± 1.7) and in younger patients (1.8 ± 1.9) than elders (1.7 ± 1.4); but there was significant statistical difference only between different age groups (P = 0.012). At 60 and 120 minutes postoperatively, pain intensity was higher in younger patients and women, too; but the differences were not statistically significant according to age and gender. In addition, the first time of analgesic requirement was earlier in younger patients (20.1 ± 12.9 minutes) than elders (27.8 ± 10.1 minutes) and in women (20.5 ± 8.7 minutes) than men (23.8 ± 13.0 minutes); again, there was significant statistical difference only between different age groups in this regard (P = 0.002).
Younger women experience more intense pain after cataract surgery and need more preoperative and postoperative care.