[Incidence of delirium in ophthalmology]

Due to the short duration of inpatient stays and increasing outpatient treatment it is assumed that the incidence of delirium in ophthalmology is underestimated. The overall aim of this study was to record the incidence of delirium in ophthalmology through long-term follow-up.

The study was divided into 2 groups. In group A delirium events were recorded retrospectively based on the discharge reports of all inpatients at the University Clinic Freiburg, Clinic for Ophthalmology from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022. In group B delirium events were recorded prospectively by the Augennetz Südbaden (Eye Network South Baden, ANSB) in the period 60-120 days after ophthalmological surgery.

During the study period of the retrospective analysis a total of 16,384 patients were treated as inpatients. There was evidence of a total of 7 new delirium events. This corresponds to a proportion of 0.04%. A total of 12,381 patients were assessed by the ANSB, including 11,530 outpatient cataract operations. There were indications of 31 delirium events, which corresponds to a proportion of 0.25%.

The long-term prospectively recorded delirium events suggest that the incidence of delirium in the inpatient setting is underdiagnosed; however, postoperative delirium appears to be rare in ophthalmology in relation to the high number of procedures.