Current trends in cataract and refractive surgery in Japan: 1997 survey

A sixth annual survey was carried out by mail in January 1998, to investigate the current trends in cataract and refractive surgery in Japan.

Questionnaires were sent to 816 ophthalmologist members of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Data received from 409 (50.1%) of the recipients were cross-analyzed and compared with those from the previous surveys.

In cataract surgery, there have been trends toward more surgical procedures performed by a surgeon, shorter period of hospitalization, and increased number of outpatient surgery. Ninety-two percent of respondents preferred phacoemulsification, 54% used the self-sealing wound-closure technique, and 19% used topical anesthesia for phacoemulsification. As for refractive surgery, surgeons remained rather conservative; with 28% and 7% of surgeons doing astigmatic keratotomy and refractive keratotomy, respectively. Photorefractive keratectomy, laser in situ keratomileusis, and phakic intraocular lens were judged to be useful refractive surgical procedures by 56.6%, 43.3%, and 25.1% of the respondents, respectively.