Cataract Surgery Practice in the Republic of Korea: A Survey of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2020

Abstract

Purpose: To describe current cataract surgery practice patterns and trends among Korean ophthalmologists.

Methods: A survey was conducted among members of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in October 2020. Of the 998 questionnaires, 262 (26.3%) were received for analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared with those of previous surveys.

Results: The largest percentage of respondents (39%) had <5 years of practical experience, and 40% had >11 years of practical experience. The average, median, and mode monthly volumes of cataract surgeries performed by the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery members were 31, 20, and 10 cases, respectively. Topical anesthesia was administered by 85% of the respondents. For intraocular lens (IOL) calculations, 96% of the respondents used optical biometry. The proportion of surgeons providing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery increased significantly from 5% in 2018 to 29% in 2020. This increase was accompanied by an increase in the multifocal IOLs. Those who implant multifocal IOL for >10% of their cases increased from 16% (2018) to 29% (2020). Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were prescribed postoperatively by 76% of the respondents. Most respondents (70%) prescribed these anti-inflammatory drugs for 4 weeks.

Conclusions: This survey provided a comprehensive update on current cataract surgery practice in the Republic of Korea. The results highlighted the increasing use of premium IOLs, femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, optical biometry, and topical anesthesia to better meet the patients' needs.

Keywords: Biometry; Cataract; Intraocular lenses; Phacoemulsification; Surveys and questionnaires.

Fig. 1

The longitudinal trend of preferred anesthesia techniques used in cataract surgery.

Fig. 2

The longitudinal trend of the preferred incision location in cataract surgery.

Fig. 3

The longitudinal trend of the preferred intraocular lens material.

Fig. 4

Survey results of toric intraocular lens. (A) Response of toric intraocular lens implantation ratio to total number of cataract surgery. (B) Subgroup analysis of toric intraocular lens implantation rates by workplace. (C) Subgroup analysis of corneal astigmatism for toric intraocular lens implantation by workplace. D = diopter.

Fig. 5

Survey results of multifocal intraocular lens. (A) Response of multifocal intraocular lens implantation ratio to total number of cataract surgery. (B) Subgroup analysis of multifocal intraocular lens implantation rates by workplace.

Fig. 6

The complication rate of unplanned aphakia, intraocular lens (IOL) sulcus fixation, dysphotopsia, retinal detachment, clinically significant pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME), intraocular pressure (IOP) spikes requiring medication, and toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) with severe endothelial cell damage.