Cataract remains, to this day, one of the leading causes of reversible blindness worldwide. Evidence from the literature suggest that cataract extraction is increasingly performed at younger ages. In addition, advancements in surgical technology and surgeon proficiency have reduced intraoperative energy requirements, enhancing safety and efficacy. This thesis investigates age, gender, and phacoemulsification energy trends in cataract surgery at a tertiary center in northern Greece and compares these findings with international data from various regions. A retrospective observational study was conducted utilizing electronic medical records from Papageorgiou Hospital, 2nd Department of Ophthalmology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, covering 2014 to 2024. Data on age, gender, and intraoperative cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) were gathered and analysed. The mean age at surgery decreased from 72.8±9.2 years in 2014 to 71.8±8.0 years in 2024, and the median age declined from 75 to 72 years, both of them being statistically significant. Female patients comprised 51.5% of cases in 2014 and 56.8% in 2024, indicating an increasing female representation. Mean CDE decreased from 18.5±14.2 percent seconds in 2014 to 11.5±12.3 percent seconds in 2024, reflecting technological and surgical improvements. A literature review of registry reports and cohort studies from high- and low-income countries demonstrated that mean surgical age ranges from 60–64 years in many Asian and African centers to approximately 74 years in European registries, with a general trend toward earlier intervention. Female predominance is a common finding in most of these studies. Early surgery is associated with high myopia, prior refractive surgery, and socioeconomic factors. The present findings, including a modest reduction in age and increased female representation, are consistent with international and European trends, with the Greek cohort being closer to its European counterparts. The reduction in CDE matches global evidence that modern phacoemulsification systems, more energy-efficient phaco tips as well as surgeon proficiency, reduce ultrasound energy requirements. These results underscore the importance of monitoring demographic trends and optimizing the approach to cataract surgery.
Παναγιώτης Γ. Γαρίτσης (Wed,) studied this question.