Costs and outcomes of phacoemulsification for cataracts performed by residents

ABSTRACT Purpose: To describe costs and outcomes of phacoemulsification for cataracts performed by ophthalmology residents. Methods: We obtained medical records from patients operated on in 2011 by third year residents (R3) using phacoemulsification (n=576). Our expenses estimation included professionals’ and hospital costs (fees, materials, medications, and equipment). The study outcomes included spectacle-corrected visual acuities before and six months after the operation, rate of intraoperative complications, and total number of postoperative visits. We compared outcome variables with those from extracapsular cataract extraction procedures (n=274) performed by R3 residents in 1997. Results: The mean total cost for phacoemulsification was US$ 416, while an overall estimation indicated the extracapsular cataract extraction cost at US$ 284 (as of December 30, 2011). The mean preoperative spectacle-corrected visual acuity was worse for eyes scheduled for extracapsular cataract extraction (1.73 ± 0.62), than for eyes scheduled for phacoemulsification (0.74 ± 0.54 logMAR) (p