Cataract Surgery Volume Decreases 97% Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Ophthalmology lost more patient volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other medical specialty, according to a new large-scale analysis.

In addition to having an 81% decrease in patient volume year-over-year for a 2-week period in March and April, there was a 97% reduction in cataract surgery volume and an 88% reduction in glaucoma procedures.

Strata Decision Technology analyzed data from more than 2 million patient visits and encounters from 228 hospitals in 40 stated from a 2-week period in March and April 2020 to the comparable period from 2019.

Although all specialties were hit hard—mostly due to the cancelation of elective surgeries—ophthalmology saw the biggest decrease.

Read the full analysis here.

We previously reported on the large decrease in outpatient doctor visits ophthalmology was experiencing as a result of the pandemic. Read more about the Harvard University report here.