Incidence And Trends In Cataract Surgery And Specialty Iol Use Over The Last 20 Years - A Population-Based Study
Published 2026 - 44th Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: POCAT575 | Type: Poster | DOI: 10.82333/4zba-4r22
Authors: Susan Xia 1 , Dr Rachel Israilevich 1 , Launia White 1 , Mr Paul Decker 1 , Dr Cheryl Khanna 1 , Dr Sunil Khanna 1 , Dr Michael Mahr 1 , Dr Ruti Sella* 1
1Ophthalmology,Mayo Clinic,Rochester,United States
Purpose
To establish the demographics and percentage of patients seeking cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation (CEIOL) in Olmsted County (OC), Minnesota, over the past 20 years, with the advancement of phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) technology.
Setting
The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) database was used to identify all incident cataract surgeries performed in OC, Minnesota, between 1/1/2004 and 12/31/2024.
Methods
Patient demographics and ocular comorbidities were obtained using codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) system as documented in the REP database. Mayo Clinic’s Ophthalmology Parametric Universal Search (OPUS) program and manual chart review were used to obtain data on surgical device use and IOL selection.
Results
During the study period, 18,100 patients underwent CEIOL at a median age of 73 years. Phacoemulsification comprised 99.9% of surgeries. Comorbidities included glaucoma (23.5%), macular degeneration (22.1%), diabetic retinopathy (9.5%), endothelial dystrophy (5.9%), and uveitis (2.7%). Annual CEIOL incidence in OC rose from 847 cases in 2004 to 2,172 cases in 2024.
Between 2019 and 2024, use of specialty IOLs rose from 1.11% (2019) to 1.34% (2024), excluding toric monofocals, and from 6.76% (2019) to 12.43% (2024), including them, demonstrating an overall 104% increase in specialty IOL implantation. Pupil expansion device and capsular tension ring and segment use remained steady (6% vs 4%, 1.0% vs 1.34%, and 0.45% vs .27%, respectively).
Conclusions
CEIOL volume in OC increased substantially over the 20-year study period, aligning with national projections of increased demand for cataract surgery. From 2019 to 2024, specialty IOL implantation increased, nearly doubling, largely driven by increased use of toric IOLs. In contrast, the use of surgical devices for pupil expansion and capsular support remained relatively stable over the study period, suggesting comparable surgical complexity over time. Overall, these trends reflect evolving refractive goals and surgical practice patterns, including broader adoption of astigmatic-correcting technologies.