Latest Analysis Of Immediate And Delayed Sequential Bilateral Cataract Surgeries From The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Published 2024 - 42nd Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PP19.08 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/0768-6461
Authors: Woojin Kim* 1 , Yun Jin Choi 2 , Chan Mi Park 2 , Dong Hyun Kim 3 , Youngsub Eom 4 , Jong Suk Song 1
1Department of ophthalmology,Korea University Guro Hospital,Seoul,Korea, Republic Of, 2Biomedical Research center,Korea University Guro Hospital,Seoul,Korea, Republic Of, 3Department of ophthalmology,Korea University Anam Hospital,Seoul,Korea, Republic Of, 4Department of ophthalmology,Korea University Ansan Hospital,Seoul,Korea, Republic Of
Purpose
To compare the rates of immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) and delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS) by year in Korea before and after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to report the characteristics, factors, and results related to undergoing ISBCS and DSBCS.
Setting
A nationwide, population-based, cohort study using customized health data collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service.
Methods
All patients ≥65 years of age who underwent ISBCS or DSBCS, covered by the Korean National Health Insurance, between 2016 and 2021 were included. Customized health information data were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. To evaluate factors associated with ISBCS and DSBCS, logistic regression modeling was performed. The numbers of patients who underwent ISBCS or DSBCS by year, the interval between the first and second DSBCS surgeries, demographics, ocular and systemic comorbidities of patients, types of intraocular lens (IOL) implanted in ISBCS or DSBCS, and incidence rates of cystoid macular edema and endophthalmitis after ISBCS or DSBCS were recorded.
Results
A total of 50 878 (7.17%) patients underwent ISBCS, and 658 609 (92.83%) patients underwent DSBCS. ISBCS cases more than doubled in 2020 (7902) from 2019 (3703) before increasing even more significantly in number in 2021 (33 645). Age, hospital size, ocular and systemic comorbidities of patients, types of IOL, and calendar year were associated with receiving ISBCS. In 2020, the incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis among ISBCS patients (1.39 per 1000 procedures) was significantly higher than that among DSBCS patients (0.40 per 1000 procedures; P = 0.001).
Conclusions
This study is the first to evaluate ISBCS and DSBCS cases nationwide after 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of patients undergoing ISBCS for bilateral cataracts has increased annually, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea in 2020. However, this significant increase in ISBCS cases also led to a surge in postoperative endophthalmitis incidence of the ISBCS in 2020.