Surgical outcomes from cataract operations have consistently improved over the past decade, results from the latest national ophthalmology database (NOD) cataract audit demonstrate.
The rate of posterior capsule rupture or PCR – the major complication of surgery – has more than halved since 2014 and now stands at just 0.69%. This indicates that thousands of complications have been avoided, leading to significant benefits for patients and substantial savings for the NHS.
Around 200 centres contributed data to the audit, which looked at adult cataract surgery performed in the United Kingdom by traditional NHS ophthalmology departments, independent sector treatment centres and private practices between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
The annual report is published on the NOD website. It features a new easy-to-read format focusing on areas that are most important to clinicians and commissioners, with links to quality improvement opportunities. Centre-specific reports, which are being sent out to lead clinicians for presentation at departmental audit meetings, are also new for this year.
Introducing the report, College President Professor Ben Burton said: “Cataract surgery remains the most performed operation in the NHS, with over 680,000 procedures undertaken annually in England alone. The scale of this service demands robust quality assurance, particularly as we see an increasingly diverse landscape of providers delivering cataract care. This year’s report continues to demonstrate the remarkable improvement in surgical outcomes over the past decade.
“I would like to thank all the contributing centres and the dedicated National Ophthalmology Database team who make this work possible. Together, we are ensuring cataract surgery in the UK continues to be among the safest and most effective in the world.”