Cataract surgery outcomes similar between moderately and narrowly focused practices
In a Canadian study of cataract surgery outcomes among variously focused practices, results favored practices with a narrow or moderately diverse focus on cataract surgery.
However, “When non-cataract operations comprised the majority of surgeons’ surgical cases, there was an increased risk of adverse events,” Robert J. Campbell, MD, MSc, and colleagues wrote in Ophthalmology.
The population-based study looked at more than 1.1 million cataract surgeries in Ontario, Canada, with patients at a mean age of 76 years. Operations were performed by three groups: exclusive, moderately diversified and highly diversified cataract surgeons. Two hundred and eleven exclusive cataract surgeons performed 47.3% of cases, 236 moderately diversified surgeons performed 52.2%, and 39 highly diversified surgeons performed 0.5%. There was no difference in comorbidity scores among the three groups’ cases.
For exclusive cataract surgeons, there was a 0.73% rate of adverse events. For moderately diversified surgeons, the rate was 0.78%, and for highly diversified surgeons, the rate was 2.31%.
Overall, 8,444 (0.77%) of cases analyzed resulted in an adverse event, including posterior capsule rupture, dropped lens fragment, retinal detachment or endophthalmitis.
“Patients operated on by surgeons whose practice was highly diversified had a significantly higher risk of adverse events than patients operated on by exclusive cataract surgeons,” the authors said.
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