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Foldable IOL use, topical anesthesia are growing cataract trends in Europe

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PARIS — Use of foldable IOLs in cataract surgery has increased in Europe from 20% in 1997 to 80% last year, according to information gathered by a multi-nation study of cataract surgery. During the same period, use of topical anesthesia in some centers grew from less than 40% to more than 70%, the study found.

These were just two of the observations reported by the European Cataract Outcomes Study (ECOS) Group here at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting. Mats Lundström, MD, presented an overview of the ECOS data for 2003, gathered from a total of 45 participating sites in more than 15 countries.

In the nine centers that have participated in ECOS every year since the group began collecting data in 1997, Dr. Lundström said, topical anesthesia use increased from just under 40% to more than 70% last year. In all centers reporting data last year, topical anesthesia was used in about 50% of patients, he said.

Phacoemulsification has remained the procedure of choice throughout the years of the study, Dr. Lundström noted.

About two-thirds of Europeans undergoing cataract surgery are women, and about 40% undergo bilateral procedures, he said.

Overall complications were low at the ECOS participating centers, with a mean complication rate of 3.7%. “Some units may report no complications, but they may also have fewer procedures,” Dr. Lundström said. Of the complications reported, posterior capsule rupture occurred in fewer than 2.5% of cases, and vitreous loss occurred in fewer than 1.5% of cases, he said.

Dr. Lundström noted that the ECOS Group is seeking to capture more data electronically, to give participants access to real-time data and reports. Participants can access the site at www.eurocat.net.