Complexities and challenges of surgical data collection from cataract patients: comparison of cataract surgery rates between 2001 and 2008 in all provinces of Argentina / Complexidades e desafios da coleta de dados cirúrgicos de catarata: comparação das taxas de cirurgia de catarata em todas as províncias da Argentina de 2001 em relação a 2008

Purpose: To compare the cataract surgical rate (CSR) in 2001 with that in 2008 in all Argentinean provinces using current reporting methods and verify the accuracy of CSRs by crosschecking these methods with the number of sold intraocular lenses (IOLs) within the country. Methods: A longitudinal study including public and private setups was conducted, and it included 40 ophthalmologists from 22 provinces who provided cataract surgery data for 2001 and 2008. Other data were obtained from the Ministry of Health. Estimates were crosschecked against the market data for sold intraocular lens (IOLs) in 2008 and 2010. Results: The number of cataract surgeries increased 2.7-fold, from 62,739 in 2001 to 169,762 in 2008, with increases in every province except Mendoza. Although the population also increased by 9.4% during the same time period, the apparent CSR jumped from 1,744 to 4,313 per million population. The number of IOLs sold in Argentina in 2008 was 186,652, suggesting that the number of cataract surgeries performed was slightly greater than anticipated. Crosschecks with other countries using IOL sales data did not show discrepancies when compared with previously reported CSRs. Conclusions: Although the CSR in Argentina increased considerably from 2001 to 2008 for several reasons, the main reason was that thorough crosschecking between the number of surgeries reported and the number of IOLs sold revealed that the number of surgeries performed annually were being underestimated as a result of incomplete reporting by private practitioners. Furthermore, the presence of multiple societies of ophthalmology in the country complicated the process of obtaining accurate data. .

Objetivo: Comparar a taxa de cirurgia de catarata (TCC) em todas as províncias da Argentina entre 2001 e 2008, utilizando métodos de relatórios convencionais e verificar a precisão da TCC por meio do cruzamento desses métodos com o número de lentes intraoculares (LIOs) vendidas no país. Métodos: Estudo longitudinal realizado em clínicas públicas e privadas, com a participação de 40 oftalmologistas de 22 províncias, que forneceram dados sobre cirurgias de catarata para 2001 e 2008. Outros dados foram obtidos a partir do Ministério da Saúde. As observações foram cruzadas com os dados de mercado para LIOs no período de 2008 a 2010. Resultados: O número de cirurgias de catarata aumentaram 2,7 vezes, de 62.739 em 2001 para 169.762 em 2008, com aumentos em todas as províncias, exceto Mendoza. Embora a população também tenha aumentado 9,4 % durante o mesmo período de tempo, a aparente TCC saltou de 1.744 para 4.313 por milhão de população. O número de LIOs vendidas na Argentina em 2008 foi de 186.652, o que pode significar que tenham sido realizadas um pouco mais de cirurgias de catarata do que o estimado. Verificações cruzadas com outros países que utilizam dados de vendas de LIOs não apresentam discrepâncias quando comparado a TCC anteriormente relatadas. Conclusões: De 2001 a 2008, a TCC na Argentina aumentou consideravelmente por várias razões mas, principalmente, porque foi revelada, por meio do cruzamento de dados sobre cirurgias relatadas com o número de LIOs vendidas, que o número de cirurgias realizadas anualmente foi hipoestimado no passado, como resultado de relatórios incompletos feitos por médicos privados. Há também várias sociedades de oftalmologia no país, o que dificulta a obtenção de dados precisos. .

Future trends in global blindness.

The objective of this review is to discuss the available data on the prevalence and causes of global blindness, and some of the associated trends and limitations seen. A literature search was conducted using the terms “global AND blindness” and “global AND vision AND impairment”, resulting in seven appropriate articles for this review. Since 1990 the estimate of global prevalence of blindness has gradually decreased when considering the best corrected visual acuity definition: 0.71% in 1990, 0.59% in 2002, and 0.55% in 2010, corresponding to a 0.73% reduction per year over the 2002–2010 period. Significant limitations were found in the comparability between the global estimates in prevalence or causes of blindness or visual impairment. These limitations arise from various factors such as uncertainties about the true cause of the impairment, the use of different definitions and methods, and the absence of data from a number of geographical areas, leading to various extrapolation methods, which in turn seriously limit comparability. Seminal to this discussion on limitations in the comparability of studies and data, is that blindness has historically been defined using best corrected visual acuity.