A cost-effectiveness comparison of the intraocular lens and the contact lens in aphakia

There is currently interest in the effectiveness and cost of the intraocular lens as compared with other methods of correcting aphakia following cataract extraction. We have undertaken a retrospective review of patients undergoing cataract surgery by the extracapsular method at Moorfields Eye Hospital during the period January 1982 to July 1983. From the total population we selected at random two groups of patients, having their aphakia corrected either by means of a contact lens or an intraocular implant. Patients under the age of 60 years and those with complicating illnesses were excluded from the study. Using case notes, we followed the sample patients from the time of referral until one year after the operation, and recorded a number of clinical and economic variables such as waiting time for operation, length of inpatient stay, incidence of per- and post-operative complications, number of follow-up visits, final visual acuity and (for the contact lens patients) waiting time for lens issue and average daily wearing time. We found that the visual acuities obtained, and the total costs to society, were similar for the two groups.