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Background/objectives: To create a risk factor model for posterior capsule rupture (PCR) during cataract surgery., Subjects/methods: Eligible operations between 01/04/2016 and 31/03/2022 from centres supplying data to the UK national cataract audit with complete data including patients' gender and age at surgery, anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurement and preoperative visual acuity (VA) were included. A logistic regression model was fitted to identify risk factors and calculate their odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for PCR., Results: This analysis included 961,208 cataract operations performed on 682,381 patients from 136 participating centres by 3198 surgeons. 9730 (1.01%) of surgeries were complicated by PCR. The median age was 75.7 and 76.7 years for first and second eye surgery respectively, and 5154 (53.0%) were female. The highest risk factors for PCR were less experienced trainee surgeon (OR 3.75, 95% CI 3.33-4.24, p < 0.001), pseudoexfoliation/phacodonesis (OR 3.47, 95% CI 3.05-3.94, p < 0.001), younger males (OR 3.05, 95% CI 2.23-4.16, p < 0.001) and brunescent/white/mature cataract (OR 2.41, 95% CI 2.24-2.60, p < 0.001). Other risk factors identified were glaucoma, worse preoperative VA, previous intravitreal therapy, high myopia, previous vitrectomy, systemic diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, amblyopia, older age, shallower ACD and inability to lie flat and cooperate., Conclusion: Various surgical, patient and ocular factors increase the risk of PCR during cataract surgery. This risk factor model permits estimation of individualised risks for patients and allows risk-adjustment for surgeons to evaluate their PCR rates based on case complexity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Background/objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of the silicone tipped irrigation/aspiration (I/A) handpiece CapsuleGuard® (Bausch + Lomb, Laval, Canada) reduced rates of posterior capsule rupture (PCR) during cataract surgery., Methods: Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) Cataract Audit data from 01/04/2010 and 31/03/2021 and Bausch + Lomb sales figures were combined to identify centres participating in national cataract audit who have routinely adopted the silicone tipped I/A handpiece, CapsuleGuard®. Data were included only from centres with eligible cataract operations recorded on the NOD both before and after adopting CapsuleGuard®. Review of the literature was undertaken to estimate the proportion of PCR that occurs during I/A, to evaluate the impact of adoption of CapsuleGuard® on PCR occurring in this phase of surgery., Results: Within the study period, 267 371 eligible cataract operations were performed in 14 centres with >50 eligible operations both before and after adopting CapsuleGuard®. Within centres adopting CapsuleGuard®, the rate of PCR occurrence reduction was 16.4%. Before and after the adoption of CapsuleGuard® the median change of PCR was 21.7% reduction (IQR: 4.8% to 37.7% reduction)., Conclusions: A reduction in the rate of PCR was seen after regular adoption of CapsuleGuard® during cataract operations. Review of published studies attributing PCR to various components of the cataract operation suggest around 25% of PCR may occur during I/A; adoption of CapsuleGuard may, therefore, be associated with avoidance of a substantial proportion of the PCR during that phase of surgery., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Background: Cataract surgical safety has improved over recent decades, with endophthalmitis rates before 2006 typically 0.13-0.15% compared with the most recent UK national estimate of 0.02%. There remains, however, substantial variation in reported rates from different centres. Due to the low event rate, this disparity may not be noticed and opportunities to improve therefore be missed. We propose a method of monitoring post-cataract endophthalmitis rates that would help centres with higher rates identify this., Methods: A statistical tool, available to download or use online, permits comparison of local endophthalmitis rate with the estimated UK rate of 0.02%. Centres are encouraged to maintain a register of endophthalmitis cases, and when the number reaches a threshold (X cases), either in a certain time period or in a fixed number of procedures, then the centre can consider itself as an outlier and trigger local investigations to improve infection control., Results: Example outputs are offered, such as for a unit doing 5000 cataracts annually, a value of X is suggested such that the third case of endophthalmitis (X = 3) in a 12-month period would give 85% confidence, the fourth case 90% confidence and the fifth case 95% confidence that the true endophthalmitis rate for that unit was higher than the national average., Conclusions: This statistical tool provides a basis for units to set a threshold number of cases of endophthalmitis within a given period that would trigger local processes, thus helping inform local monitoring processes for this rare but potentially catastrophic complication of cataract surgery., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Background/objectives: Cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is one of the most commonly performed surgeries worldwide. Within the UK, publicly funded cataract surgery is remunerated by two models: (1) "block contract" (BC), which commissions organisations to deliver whole service pathways without considering specific activity items; or (2) "payment by results" (PbR), which pays a tariff price for each procedure. This study aimed to examine the association between remuneration model and the cost and types of IOL used., Subjects/methods: Cataract operations recorded on the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database were included, with additional data collected for remuneration model from NHS England and cost of IOL from the NHS Spend Comparison Service., Results: We included 907,052 cataract operations from 87 centres. The majority of operations were performed in PbR centres (456 198, 50.3%), followed by BC centres (240 641, 26.5%) and mixed models centres (210 213, 23.2%). The mean price of hydrophobic (n = 7) and hydrophilic IOLs (n = 5) were £45.72 and £42.86, respectively. Hydrophobic IOLs were predominantly used (650 633, 71.7%) and were significantly more commonly used in centres remunerated by BC (96.5% vs. 3.5%) than those by PbR (65.7% vs. 34.3%) when compared to hydrophilic IOLs (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the IOL choice may be perversely incentivised by the IOL cost and remuneration model. Although hydrophobic IOLs are more expensive at the point of surgery, their potential longer-term cost-effectiveness due to reduced requirement for YAG capsulotomy should be considered., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Introduction: To identify variables associated with primary anatomical outcome following vitrectomy and internal tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD)., Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, using a database of RD treated with vitrectomy and internal tamponade. Collected data complied with the RCOphth Retinal Detachment Dataset. The main outcome measure was anatomical failure within six months of surgery., Results: There were 6377 vitrectomies. 869 eyes were excluded, either because no outcome was recorded, or inadequate follow up, leaving 5508 operations for analysis. 63.9% of patients were male, and the median age was 62. Primary anatomical failure occurred in 13.9%. On multivariate analysis, the following were associated with increased risk of failure: age <45, or >79, inferior retinal breaks, total detachment, one quadrant or greater inferior detachment, low density silicone oil, and presence of proliferative vitreoretinopathy. C 2 F 6 tamponade, cryotherapy, and 25 G vitrectomy, were associated with reduced risk of failure. The area under the receiver operator curve was 71.7%. According to this model, 54.3% of RD are at low risk (<10%), 35.6% are at moderate risk (10-25%), and 10.1% are at high risk (>25%) of failure., Conclusions: Previous attempts to identify high risk RD have been limited by small numbers, the inclusion of both scleral buckling and vitrectomy, or by excluding some types of RD. This study examined outcomes in unselected RD, treated by vitrectomy. Identification of the variables associated with anatomical outcome after RD surgery enables accurate risk stratification, which is valuable for patient counselling and selection, and for future clinical trials., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To establish the incidence of acute intraoperative suprachoroidal haemorrhage (AISH) during cataract surgery and identify the risk factors for this complication., Methods: Data from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database was analysed. During the 11-year study period, from 01/04/2010 to 31/03/2021, 709 083 operations performed on 498 170 patients from 65 centres were eligible for inclusion., Results: AISH occurred in 0.03% (204/709 083, approximately 1 in 3 500) of eligible cataract operations performed during the study period. Posterior capsule rupture was the risk factor most strongly associated with AISH (OR: 17.6, 95% CI: 12.4-24.9, p < 0.001). Other ocular risk factors identified were raised intraocular pressure (IOP) preoperatively (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.5-5.5, p < 0.001), glaucoma (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.4, p = 0.004). Risk increased with age and patients aged over 90 years were at greatest risk (OR: 6.7, 95% CI: 3.5-12.8, p < 0.001). The addition of intracameral anaesthetic when performing surgery under topical anaesthetic appears to be protective (OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.8, p = 0.003), compared to topical anaesthetic alone. There was a 16-fold increase in the incidence of vision loss when AISH occurred., Conclusions: The risk of AISH during modern cataract surgery is approximately 1 in 3 500 and is associated with a significant increase in the risk of vision loss should it occur. Posterior capsule rupture is the risk factor most strongly associated with AISH. Preoperative IOP control is a modifiable risk factor. The use of intracameral anaesthesia may reduce the risk of AISH., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Background/objectives: Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO) is the most common long-term post-operative adverse occurrence after cataract surgery often requiring treatment with YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors, known at the time of cataract surgery, that influence the development of PCO., Subject/methods: A retrospective study of publicly funded cataract surgery from The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database. Eligible for analysis were 500,872 cataract operations performed in 41 participating centres., Results: The 500,872 operations were performed on 243,167 (48.5%) left eyes and 257,705 (51.5%) right eyes from 373,579 patients by 2196 surgeons. Post-cataract PCO was recorded for 61,778 (12.3%) eyes and the six month, one, three, five and nine year observed rates of PCO were 2.3%, 4.4%, 19.7%, 34.0% and 46.9% respectively. Different PCO profiles were observed between IOL materials and the identified risk factors that increased the risk of developing PCO included hydrophilic IOL material, axial length >26 mm, the presence of high myopia and implantation of lower IOL powers and previous vitrectomy surgery, along with younger age and female gender., Conclusions: Many factors influence the development of PCO relating to the patient, the eye, the lens and the surgery. Some factors are modifiable such as IOL material, therefore the opportunity exists to attempt to reduce PCO rates, benefitting patients and the UK NHS., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Objective: To identify risk factors affecting visual outcomes in successfully re-attached macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) surgery., Design: A prospective study, using online databases, of visual outcomes for 2074 macula-off retinal detachments that were successfully re-attached by vitrectomy and internal tamponade. The database included detailed retinal diagrams of each detachment., Main Outcome Measure: The probability of achieving a post-operative visual acuity (VA) of ≤0.30 LogMAR (Snellen 6/12 or better)., Results: Male patients accounted for 64.9% of the sample and the median age was 63 years old. The median pre-operative VA was counting fingers (LogMAR 1.98); this improved to 0.41 LogMAR post-operatively. A post-operative VA of ≤0.30 LogMAR was achieved for 1012 (48.8%) eyes and the factors affecting this were the patient age and gender, pre-operative VA, duration of central vision loss, PVR grade, lens status, total RD and the presence of any ocular co-pathology where the model area under the receiver operator curve was 71.6%., Conclusions: From the identified risk factors that decrease the probability of achieving a post-operative visual acuity of ≤0.30 LogMAR, the most important modifiable risk factor was the duration of central vision loss. Recent macula-off retinal detachments should be repaired within 72 h of the loss of central vision.

Objectives: To reassess the definition of a large macular hole, factors predicting hole closure and post-surgery visual recovery., Design: Database study of 1483 primary macular hole operations. Eligible operations were primary MH operations treated with a vitrectomy and a gas or air tamponade. Excluded were eyes with a history of retinal detachment, high myopia, previous vitrectomy or trauma., Results: A higher proportion of operations were performed in eyes from females (71.1%) who were 'on average' younger (p < 0.001), with slightly larger holes (p < 0.001) than male patients. Sulfur hexafluoride gas was generally used for smaller holes (p < 0.001). From 1253 operations with a known surgical outcome, successful hole closure was achieved in 1199 (96%) and influenced by smaller holes and complete ILM peeling (p < 0.001), but not post-surgery positioning (p = 0.072). A minimum linear diameter of ~500 μm marked the threshold where the success rate started to decline. From the 1056 successfully closed operations eligible for visual outcome analysis, visual success (defined as visual acuity of 0.30 or better logMAR) was achieved in 488 (46.2%) eyes. At the multivariate level, the factors predicting visual success were better pre-operative VA, smaller hole size, shorter duration of symptoms and the absence of AMD., Conclusions: Females undergoing primary macular hole surgery tend to be younger and have larger holes than male patients. The definition of a large hole should be changed to around 500 μm, and patients should be operated on early to help achieve a good post-operative VA.

Background: Cataract extraction is the most frequently performed surgical intervention in the world and demand is rising due to an ageing demography. One option to address this challenge is to offer selected patients immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS). This study aims to investigate patient and operative characteristics for ISBCS and delayed bilateral cataract surgery (DSCS) in the UK., Methods: Data were analysed from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database Audit (NOD) of cataract surgery. Eligible patients were those undergoing bilateral cataract extraction from centres with a record of at least one ISBCS operation between 01/04/2010 and 31/08/2018. Variable frequency comparison was undertaken with chi-square tests., Results: During the study period, 1073 patients had ISBCS and 248,341 DSCS from 73 centres. A higher proportion of ISBCS patients were unable to lie flat (11.3% vs. 1.8%; p < 0.001), unable to cooperate (9.7% vs. 2.7%; p < 0.001); underwent general anaesthesia (58.7% vs. 6.6% (p < 0.001)); had brunescent/white/mature cataracts (odds ratio (OR) 5.118); no fundal view/vitreous opacities (OR 8.381); had worse pre-operative acuity 0.60 LogMAR ISBCS vs. 0.50 (first) and 0.40 (second eye) DSCS and were younger (mean ages, 71.5 vs. 75.6 years; p < 0.001). Posterior capsular rupture (PCR) rates adjusted for case complexity were comparable (0.98% ISBCS and 0.78% DSCS)., Conclusions: ISBCS was performed on younger patients, with difficulty cooperating and lying flat, worse pre-operative vision, higher rates of known PCR risk factors and more frequent use of general anaesthesia than DSCS in centres recorded on NOD.

Objective: To determine whether socioeconomic status influenced the presenting visual acuity prior to first eye cataract surgery in the English National Health Service. Retrospective case series from The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database Audit. In total 154,223 patients undergoing first eye cataract surgery at 68 centres in England performed between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2017., Main Outcome Measure: Social deprivation status and pre-operative visual acuity (VA) between centres for patients undergoing first eye cataract surgery in England., Results: The median social deprivation varied between centres and ranged from decile 2 (2nd most deprived decile) to decile 9 (2nd least deprived decile). The pre-operative VA was reported for 143,401 (93.0%) eyes. The median pre-operative VA was 0.50 LogMAR (6/19), and 27.7% eyes had a preoperative VA of 0.30 LogMAR units (6/12) or better. The median pre-operative VA for each centre ranged from 0.30 to 0.60 LogMAR (6/12 to 6/24). The median pre-operative VA was mostly stable across deciles of social deprivation (0.60 LogMAR for decile 1 and 0.50 LogMAR for all other deciles), and some evidence was found linking greater deprivation to worse pre-operative VA and to lower levels of access., Conclusions: We found no strong evidence of inequality for gaining access to first eye cataract surgery in this National Ophthalmology Database analysis, however there was a possible trend towards fewer people in the more deprived deciles accessing surgery, and that some of these are presenting with quite marked levels of visual impairment.

Background: Older age is commonly associated with an increased risk of surgical complications and comparatively poor outcomes., Purpose: To report cataract surgery outcomes and risk indicators for patients aged 90 years and older., Methods: Data collected as part of routine cataract care in 34 centres contributing to the United Kingdom Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) were analysed. Very elderly people undergoing cataract surgery were profiled in terms of demographics, pre- and postoperative best-measured visual acuity (VA), ocular co-morbidities, intraoperative posterior capsule rupture (PCR) or vitreous loss or both, and risk indicators for operative PCR and adverse VA outcome., Results: 25,856 cataract operations in 19,166 people of 90 years or older between 2000 and 2014 are reported. Preoperative VA was available for 82.4% eyes, being 0.30 LogMAR or better in 21.5%. Postoperative VA was available for 61.8% eyes, being 0.30 LogMAR or better in 74.4%. For those without ocular co-morbidity, postoperative VA was 0.30 LogMAR or better in 84.7%. Various co-morbidities were present in 49% and contributed to an adverse VA outcome. PCR data were available for all operations and occurred in 2.7%. Significant risk indicators for PCR included pseudoexfoliation/phakodonesis, mature cataract, smaller pupil and worse preoperative VA., Conclusions: Slightly poorer cataract surgery outcome results were noted in patients of 90 years or older, more so in patients with ocular co-morbidity which was highly prevalent. However, surgeons should not be deterred from offering cataract surgery to the very elderly as successful visual rehabilitation remains achievable.