ABSTRACT
AIMS: To investigate changes in the prescribing patterns of postoperative eye drops following cataract surgery in Sweden from 2010 to 2017. METHODS: Data from cataract procedures registered in the National Cataract Register during the month of March from 2010 to 2017 were record linked and sent to the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, which allowed us to determine which eye drops the patients had obtained from 3 months presurgery to 2 weeks post surgery. RESULTS: During the 8-year study period, 54 889 surgeries were registered. Combination treatment with steroid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) eye drops increased from 12% in 2010 to 60% in 2017 (p<0.001) while monotherapy with steroids decreased from 71% in 2010 to 26% in 2017 (p<0.001). Monotherapy with NSAIDs after surgery was fairly stable, at 17% in 2010 and 13% in 2017 (p<0.001). Combination treatment was more frequent in patients with diabetic retinopathy (p<0.001) or age-related macular degeneration (p<0.001), while monotherapy with steroids was more frequent in patients with glaucoma (p<0.001). The proportion of monotherapy or combination therapy varied widely between ophthalmic clinics. The prescription of antibiotic eye drops after surgery also varied greatly between clinics, from 0% to 63%, with a national average of 4.9%. CONCLUSION: There is a change in the prescription pattern of anti-inflammatory eye drops after cataract surgery in Sweden, with less monotherapy and an increasing proportion of patients receiving a combination of steroid and NSAID eye drops.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To identify and evaluate possible causes of poor patient-reported visual function after cataract surgery. METHODS: We obtained retrospective data from the Swedish National Cataract Register on patient self-assessed visual function before and after cataract surgery based on the Catquest-9SF questionnaire. We identified patients who self-reported similar or more difficulties postoperatively than preoperatively, and looked at possible causative variables such as sex, age, preoperative and postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and refractive errors, and ocular comorbidity. RESULTS: Nearly 75% of the 119 patients identified had a better postoperative CDVA; the mean CDVA increased by over 0.2 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity. Patients with low or high preoperative CDVA had poor self-assessed outcomes postoperatively. Younger patients (52-68 years) had a lower self-assessed outcome than more elderly patients. Surgical complications and poor near vision yielded lower outcomes. Anisometropia, ocular comorbidity, and sex did not significantly affect the outcome in this specific group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients content with their visual function despite the presence of a cataract should defer surgery. This may also include patients younger than 68 years with good visual function. Detailed information given to the patients about their ophthalmic condition, the surgical procedure and risks, and the eventual need for reading glasses postoperatively may result in higher self-assessed visual function outcomes among patients.
