Korean J Ophthalmol.  2019 Oct;33(5):451-457. 10.3341/kjo.2019.0064.

Cataract Surgery Practices in the Republic of Korea: A Survey of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2018

• Chung JK
• Lee HK
• Kim MK
• Kim HK
• Kim SW
• Kim EC
• Kim HS

• KMID: 2459527
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.2019.0064

Abstract

PURPOSE
To describe current cataract surgery practice patterns and changing trends among Korean ophthalmologists.
METHODS
A survey of members of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery was performed in July 2018. One hundred and two (12.7%) of 801 questionnaires were returned for analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared with previous surveys.
RESULTS
Most of the respondents (75%) had been in practice for 6 or more years and performed an average of 31 cataract surgeries per month. The preferred method for cataract surgery was phacoemulsification (95%); 5% used a femtosecond laser. The use of topical anesthesia markedly increased from 69% (2012) to 80% (2018). The use of optical biometry exceeded that of ultrasound A-scan biometry. A multifocal intraocular lens was used by 76% of the respondents compared with 44% of the respondents in 2012. Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used by 70% of the respondents postoperatively. Most (59%) of these anti-inflammatory drugs were prescribed for 4 weeks.
CONCLUSIONS
This survey provided a comprehensive update of the present cataract surgery practices in the Republic of Korea. The results emphasized the increasing use of premium intraocular lenses, optical biometry, and topical anesthesia.

Keyword

Biometry; Cataract; Intraocular lenses; Phacoemulsification; Surveys and questionnaires

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Biometry
Cataract*
Lenses, Intraocular
Methods
Phacoemulsification
Refractive Surgical Procedures*
Republic of Korea*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Ultrasonography

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Changing trends of preferred anesthesia techniques used for cataract surgery.

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  Fig. 2 Changing trends of the preferred incision meridian.

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  Fig. 3 Changing trends of the preferred intraocular lens material.

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  Fig. 4 Percentages of (A) toric intraocual lens and (B) multifocal intraocual lens implanted after phacoemulsification among the total number of cataract surgeries.

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  Fig. 5 The complication rate of toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) with severe endothelial cell damage, intraocular pressure (IOP) spikes requiring medication, clinically significant pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME), retinal detachment, intraocular lens (IOL) subluxation/dislocation, dysphotopsia, IOL sulcus fixation, and unplanned aphakia.

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