Nationwide Trends in Vitreoretinal Procedures within Australia

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Public Health Trends

Background:

• Vitreoretinal procedures are crucial for treating various eye conditions.
• Understanding national trends in surgical practices is essential for healthcare planning.
• Previous studies have indicated shifts in surgical techniques, but comprehensive age-stratified data from Australia were lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-stratified nationwide trends in Australian vitreoretinal procedures.
• To analyze changes in the utilization of specific procedures like pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and scleral buckling for retinal detachment (RD).
• To track the incidence of intravitreal injections and PPV unrelated to RD.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide retrospective analysis of the Australian National Hospital Morbidity Database (2001-2019).
• Inclusion of data from both public and private hospitals across Australia.
• Age and gender-specific trend analysis using negative binomial regression for PPV for RD, scleral buckle, intravitreal injections, and PPV unrelated to RD.

Main Results:

• Total procedures increased from 8,102 in 2001 to 136,430 in 2019.
• Incidence of PPV for RD rose from 7.5 to 20.7 per 100,000 persons, while scleral buckling decreased from 10.5 to 4.0.
• Intravitreal injections saw a dramatic increase from 5.6 to 446.0 per 100,000 persons annually.

Conclusions:

• A clear trend towards increased use of PPV over scleral buckling for RD repair in Australia from 2001-2019.
• Significant annual increases observed in PPV procedures (for and unrelated to RD) and intravitreal injections across all age groups.
• These Australian trends align with international patterns, reflecting evolving surgical practices in ophthalmology.