Cataract surgery outcomes at a UK independent sector treatment centre.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to review cataract surgery outcomes at three independent surgery treatment centres established by the UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) and to compare these outcomes with recognised benchmarks.


METHODS
All patients who underwent cataract surgery at UKSH between July 2005 and March 2013 were included. Complication rates were obtained using annual quality reports, logbooks kept in operating theatres and outpatient departments, and electronic medical records. Refractive outcomes and biometry results between December 2010 and March 2013 were obtained from electronic medical records. Results were compared with previously published benchmarks.


RESULTS
This study reviewed 20,070 cataract surgeries. UKSH had lower rates of several operative complications compared with the Cataract National Dataset benchmark study. These included choroidal haemorrhage, hyphaema, intraocular lens complications, iris damage from phacoemulsification, nuclear fragment into the vitreous, phacoemulsification wound burn, posterior capsule rupture or vitreous loss or both, vitreous in anterior chamber, and zonular dialysis. UKSH had lower rates of postoperative complications including corneal decompensation, cystoid macular oedema, iris to wound, posterior capsule opacification with yttrium aluminium garnet indicated, raised intraocular pressure, retained soft lens matter, uveitis, vitreous to section, and wound leak. Biometry outcomes at UKSH were significantly better than recently published benchmarks from the National Healthcare Service.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first large-scale retrospective study of cataract surgery outcomes in the UK independent sector. The results indicate comparable or lower rates for most complications as compared with data collected in a previously published study.
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Zeba A
ZA
Syed
UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK.
Javad
J
Moayedi
UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK.
Mehdi
M
Mohamedi
UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK.
Jacob
J
Tashter
UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK.
Teresa
T
Anthony
UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK.
Celadet
C
Celiker
Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
Georges
G
Khazen
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA UK Specialist Hospitals, London, UK Boston Eye Group, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Samir A
SA
Melki
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000592:standards; D001699:Biometry; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013222:State Medicine; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D006113:United Kingdom; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*
Public health; Treatment Surgery