Incidence and characteristics of cataract surgery in South Korea from 2011 to 2015: A nationwide population‐based study

Abstract

Importance: Detailed incidence data for cataract surgery in the general population are limited, yet important for determining the surgical needs of the community and formulation of healthcare policies.Background: To report incidence rates of cataract surgery in South Korea.Design: Nationwide, retrospective population-based study. Participants: This study involved the entire population of South Korea (n = 47 990 761); 2 236 107 eyes of 1 591 176 patients confirmed as having cataract surgery from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2015 were included.Methods: Data for all patients who underwent primary cataract surgery in South Korea were retrieved using Korean Electronic Data Interchange and Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-7 codes. Annual incidence rates were calculated and adjusted to the national population data for the corresponding year.Main Outcome Measures: The average incidence of cataract surgery during the 5-year study period was estimated using population data from the 2010 Korean census.Results: The incidence of cataract surgery increased from 8.54/1000 personyears in 2011 to 9.67/1000 person-years in 2015. The probability of second-eye surgery within 12 months after the first-eye surgery increased from 42.98% in 2011 to 48.01% in 2015. In total, 85.72% of surgeries were performed in nonrural areas: 43.18% in individuals with a higher household income and 76.65% in primary healthcare centres. The rate of vitrectomy for posterior capsular rupture was 0.72%. Conclusions and Relevance: The incidence of cataract surgery in South Korea is increasing over time. Our findings are expected to aid in the formulation of future healthcare policies concerning cataract surgery in South Korea. K E Y W O R D S cataract surgery, epidemiology, incidence Sun Young Ryu and Jiwon Kim contributed equally to this study.

Relationship Between Cataract Surgery and Mortality in Elderly Patients with Cataract: Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study in South Korea

“…Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in South Korea according to the KNHIS. 5 Although there have been several studies that evaluate the relationship between cataract surgery and mortality from other countries, it is uncertain whether ndings from other countries are generalizable to the Korean population. Moreover, there has been no published study evaluating the relationship between cataract surgery and mortality in the Korean elderly population using the NHIS-Senior database.…”

“…The KNHIS uses the KCD codes, which is a system similar to the International Classi cation of Diseases, and the KEDI codes. 5 This cohort can be used for national healthcare evidence-based analyses for statistically representing elderly Koreans. 31,32 As NHIS-Senior database comprises publicly opened data, the…”

“…1,2 Nonetheless, it is uncertain whether vision improvement after cataract surgery could subsequently improve survival outcomes in the Korean elderly population. [3][4][5] Two previously published cohort studies demonstrated that cataract surgery was associated with a decreased mortality in cataract patients. 6,7 Another study reported that cataract surgery was associated with a decreased all-cause mortality in cataract patients from the US Medicare population.…”

Relationship between Cataract Surgery and Mortality in Elderly Patients with Cataract: Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in South Korea

“…Patient healthcare records are not duplicated because all Korean residents receive a unique identification number at birth. The KNHIS uses the KCD codes, which is a system similar to the International Classification of Diseases, and the KEDI codes [6]. This cohort can be used for national healthcare evidence-based analyses for statistically representing elderly Koreans [12,13].…”

“…Cataract surgery has been known as the well-established treatment for visually significant cataract, which is the leading cause of visual loss among adults globally [1,2]. Nonetheless, it is uncertain whether vision improvement after cataract surgery could subsequently improve survival outcomes in the Korean elderly population [3][4][5][6].…”