Privatization of ophthalmology: unveiling disparities in the surgical arena

To analyze the characteristics and trends of ophthalmic surgeries in public and private hospitals, as well as sex-disparities. A nationwide multicenter retrospective observational trend study encompassing surgeries in 9 different hospitals from 2017 to 2022. The retrieved data, which produced an anonymized database, was further divided into sub-specialties, before implementing descriptive and trend analyses. A total of 97,325 surgeries were analyzed. Private hospitals had a higher female predominance (p < 0.001). A slight non-significant increase was noted in private hospitals over the years (0.9% annual increase, p = 0.07). Cataract and oculoplastic surgeries were the most common procedures in both domains. In private hospitals, male predominance was noted in cataract, glaucoma, corneal, retinal, and strabismus surgeries, whereas female predominance was noted in oculoplastic surgeries (p < 0.001 for each). In public hospitals, however, male predominance was only observed in glaucoma, corneal, and retinal surgeries, and female predominance was observed in cataract surgeries (p < 0.001 for each). Privatization seems to be an increasing trend in ophthalmology as well, and cream skimming is not as prevalent in this cohort. Sex differences were evident in both the public and private domains in different sub-types of eye surgery.