CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES IN CATARACT SURGERY - SUBJECTIVE PREFERENCES OF CZECH CATARACT SURGEONS

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Techniques
• Medical Device Preferences

Background:

• Cataract surgery involves numerous procedural and material choices.
• Understanding surgeon preferences is key to optimizing patient outcomes and surgical standardization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the current subjective preferences of Czech cataract surgeons regarding specific procedures, techniques, and materials used in cataract surgery.
• To identify discrepancies between surgeons' routine practices and their ideal choices.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire-based survey was distributed to members of the Czech Society of Refractive and Cataract Surgery.
• The survey included 44 questions covering surgeon demographics, surgical procedures, and intraocular lens (IOL) selection.
• Respondents' current practices were compared with their stated preferences.

Main Results:

• 72 surgeons participated, with most being highly experienced (74.5% >10 years experience, 55.5% >500 surgeries/year).
• Surgeons commonly use hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (65.3%), avoid femtosecond lasers (74%), and administer intracameral antibiotics (98%).
• Preferred IOLs are predominantly hydrophobic, aspherical, clear, single-focal, and non-preloaded; however, surgeons ideally prefer aspherical (94.6%), multifocal/extended-focus (78%), and preloaded (96.8%) IOLs.

Conclusions:

• Czech cataract surgeons exhibit considerable variability in their procedural choices.
• A notable gap exists between surgeons' actual surgical practices and their personal preferences.
• Consensus is high regarding steps recommended by professional societies, such as intracameral antibiotic use.