Estimation of the effects of rounding visual acuity data.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Accurate assessment of surgical performance relies on precise outcome data.
• Visual acuity is a key metric in ophthalmic surgery outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of rounding visual acuity data on surgical performance metrics.
• To determine the potential bias introduced by different data rounding methods.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1-year visual acuity data from 606 endothelial keratoplasties.
• Creation of a virtual database with individual letter scores to simulate rounding effects.
• Application of various acuity analysis methods to assess surgeon data rounding.

Main Results:

• Rounding visual acuity data notably affected surgeon success rate estimations.
• Success rates varied widely (62%-94%) based on rounding methods and criteria (e.g., 6/12 or better).

Conclusions:

• Rounding of visual acuity scores introduces significant bias into outcome data.
• Avoid rounding where possible; if necessary, use conservative methods, crediting only fully read lines.