Eyeworld

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2025 ASCRS CLINICAL SURVEY Cataract Surgery When asked about average annual cataract surgery volume, 18% said they do less than 200 eyes, 22% said they do 200–400 eyes, 16% said their volume is between 401–700 eyes, 10% were in the range of 701–1,000 eyes, and 17% more than 1,000 eyes. It would be interesting to break it down by major metropolitan city versus middle of the country versus rural because "high volume" is different in those areas. Additionally, input from someone in the early stage of practice might skew the data one way, just like someone in a late stage of practice might. In general, what you hear is there are fewer surgeons doing more surgery now. It would be interesting to know what the average annual volume of cataract surgery was back in 2015 or 2019 to see if the average number is increasing. In the responses, 27% of people are doing what I'd consider a high volume, which is more than 700 eyes. I do 800–1,000 in the Philadel- phia area. I would think the responses of less than 200 eyes might be a glaucoma specialist or Young Eye Surgeon (YES) member. One thing I thought was interesting is that the number doing office-based surgery is signifi- cantly higher than those operating in a hospital outpatient department. That may be a trend over time that we see. When asked about performing simultane- ous bilateral/same-day cataract surgery, 55% of respondents do not perform it, and 26% only perform it in extenuating circumstances. Mean- while, 11% indicated they perform it "often," and 8% said they will perform it sometimes in routine cases without extenuating circumstances. What's holding it up is a fair reimbursement because the second eye gets reimbursed at 50%. The people doing it routinely are often those doing office-based surgery and some advanced technology. I might do both eyes at the same time if someone has a disability and when it's the right thing to do for the patient. It would be interesting to ask in the future if respondents would entertain bilateral/same- day cataract surgery if the reimbursement for the second eye was not reduced by such a large amount. I think we might see a change in these responses within a decade. –Richard Tipperman, MD ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee Chair n=818 How often do you perform simultaneous bilateral/same-day cataract surgery? 11% Often Sometimes in routine cases without extenuating circumstances 8% Only for extenuating circumstances (general anesthetic/ mentally challenged patients, etc.) 26% I do not perform bilateral cataract surgery 55% pq Statistically significant difference between segments n=981 What is your average annual cataract surgery volume? AVERAGE EYES BY SEGMENT 2025 Practice location U.S. 591 International 675 p Years in practice Early stage (0–5 years) 433 Mid-stage (6–10 years) 575 Late stage (11+ years) 683 Perform majority of surgeries in Hospital outpatient department 427 Office 674 p Gender Male 581 Female 548 571 eyes Overall average annual volume of cataract surgery <200 eyes 18% 22% 200–400 eyes 16% 401–700 eyes 10% 701–1,000 eyes 17% >1,000 eyes 17% I do not perform cataract surgery

• Cover