Incidence of cataract surgery from 1980 through 2004: 25-year population-based study

To estimate sex- and age-specific incidence rates of cataract surgery in a defined United States population and evaluate the change in incidence over time.

Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Rochester Epidemiology Project databases were used to identify all incident cataract surgeries in Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents during the 25-year period from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 2004. Annual incidence rates for each sex and 10-year age group were calculated and adjusted to the 2000 U.S. white population. Change in incidence over time was assessed by fitting generalized linear models assuming a Poisson error structure.

During the study period, 10 245 cataract extractions were performed in 7141 residents of all ages. Overall, the age-adjusted cataract surgery incident rate per 100000 residents was 548 (95% confidence interval [CI], 534-561) for women, 462 (95% CI, 447-478) for men, and 511 (95% CI, 501-521) for all residents. The incidence of cataract surgery increased 500% among women and 467% among men during the study period (P<.001). Overall, the incidence of cataract surgery was highest in residents 70 years and older (3538 surgeries [95% CI, 3322-3764] per 100,000 residents).

This population-based study found a substantial increase in incident cataract surgery among Olmsted County residents during the 25-year study period. The rate of cataract surgery increased in a nearly linear fashion during a period when phacoemulsification replaced extracapsular cataract extraction in the community.