Effectiveness of the Treatment “Bong-Tor” Using Rattan Thorn Among Cataract Patients

Abstract

The purpose of this quasi- experimental study was to examine the effectiveness of rattan thorn marking, a traditional Thai medical procedure using the rattan thorn of Calamus viminalis in cataract patients. The sample were 30 cataract patients who receive services at Huai Yot Hospital. The tools used in the research were a personal information questionnaire, rattan thorn marking, measuring the level of visual acuity (Visual Acuity Test) and measuring the level of visual acuity with a pinhole eye measurement (Pinhole Test). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentage, mean, and standard deviation and paired t-test. The results found that most of the patients were female (93.3%), age was between 52-81 years old, age was 70 years old or older (43.3%), and they had cataracts for more than 5 years (43.3%). Before treatment, most patients had a visual acuity of VA = 20/200 (row 1), which is the largest letter in the row, with the right and left eyes reading 33.3% and 30.0%, respectively. After treatment, visual acuity improved to VA = 20/15 (row 8), which was the smallest letter in the row, with the right and left eyes reading 43.3% and 33.3%, respectively. After treatment, visual acuity improved to VA = 20/15 (row 8), which was the smallest letter in the row, with the right and left eyes reading 43.3% and 33.3%, respectively. The Pinhole Test also showed improvement of VA = 20/15 (row 8) which was the smallest letter in the row, with right and left eyes reading 36.6% and 23.3%, respectively. The results were compared with the LogMAR vision measurement chart and found that the visual measurement had a decreased LogMAR value, indicating improved vision. Comparing the values before and after, there was a statistically significant difference at p<.05.