Survey of Cataract Surgery at Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran between 2000 and 2005

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate cataract surgeries performed between 2000 and 2005 at Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Methods: This retrospective study aimed at patients who had cataract and underwent surgery at Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran from 2000 to 2005. One week per season per year was randomly selected after excluding the first two weeks of the Persian Year which coincides with the New Year holiday and no elective surgeries are scheduled. In total, data from 24 weeks in these six years (2000-2005) was collected. Results: In this study, 3254 records of cataract surgeries were reviewed. The rate of extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) decreased from 94% in the year 2000 to 17% in 2005. Phacoemulsification had the highest growth rate; 1.7% in 2000 to 77% in 2005 (P<0.001). The use of foldable lenses rose from 1.3% in 2000 to 77.2% in 2005. The risk of traumatic cataracts was significantly higher in men [Odds ratio (OR)=5.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.3-9.7]. However, senile cataracts were more common in women (OR=2.07, 95% CI 1.6-2.7). Conclusion: The rate of phacoemulsification increased by 75% Compared to other surgical methods, phacoemulsification has low complication rates and has the advantage of shorter surgical time and faster recovery. Increased popularity of the method is expected to relieve the community of the social and economical burdens of cataract.