Incidence of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy following cataract surgery: a population-based nation-wide study – FreYAG1 study

Abstract Rationale Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet) capsulotomy (Nd:YAG-caps) is the gold standard for the treatment of PCO (Posterior Capsule Opacification). There is a lack of real-world data about Nd:YAG-caps use. Purpose This study’s objectives were to estimate Nd:YAG-caps incidence in France, to describe the patient characteristics, and to analyze the time between surgeries and capsulotomies. Setting: The study was based on data extracted from the EGB database, a 1/97th sample representative of the French population. Design: observational, retrospective, cohort study using national claims data. Methods French adult patients who underwent Nd:YAG-caps between 2014 and 2017 were selected. Main outcomes were the number of patients and procedures performed and the risk factors associated with early Nd:YAG-caps. Results: During the study period, Nd:YAG-caps were performed in 8,425 patients accounting for 10,774 procedures. The extrapolation to the French population led to estimate that 253.103 patients had Nd:YAG-caps, representing 312.103 procedures in 2017. The mean age at Nd:YAG-caps was 75.1 (± 10.2) years. About 36% of patients presented at least one ocular comorbidity. Nd:YAG-caps was performed within 2 years after surgery in 33.0% of patients and within one year in 9.8% of patients. Patients with Nd:YAG-caps within the first year (OR CI95 0.721 [0.673–0.772]) or in the first two years (OR CI95 0.721 [0.673–0.772]) were younger than patients with later Nd:YAG-caps and had a more frequent history of treated ocular diseases (OR 1.516 and 1.178, respectively). Conclusions This study brought new real-world and large-scale data regarding Nd:YAG-caps use and gave an updated insight into the patients’ characteristics.