Cataract extractions for senior surgeons

Two groups of surgeons over the age of 70 were contacted to determine their personal experience with cataract surgery. One hundred fifty-three of 250 ophthalmologists and 107 of 250 members of the American College of Surgeons responded to a questionnaire. Sixteen (10.5%) ophthalmologists and nine (8.4%) FACS members had undergone cataract surgery in at least one eye. The mean age at the time of surgery was 72.7 years for the ophthalmologists and 66.4 years for the FACS members. Results were excellent, with 24 of the 25 eyes among the ophthalmologists having vision of 20/30 or better. Rates for surgery among spouses of both groups were lower than those for the surgeons.