Analyzing the impact of climate and air pollution on cataract surgery volume using fuzzy cognitive maps

Abstract The burden of cataracts was substantial in the current aging world. We aimed to investigate the association of climate and air pollutants with surgical volumes for senile cataracts. We analyzed cohort data comprising 14086 patients (mean age: 70.25 ± 9.4 years) from Wuhan Centra Hospital, spanning January 1, 2019 to July 22, 2024. The environmental factors include temperature (minimum/ maximum), atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind speed, visibility, dew point, precipitation, PM2.5, PM₁₀, CO and O₃. The Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) were employed as an analytical tool to evaluate potential environmental influences on cataract surgery timing decisions. The environmental parameters of temperature, atmospheric pressure, visibility, humidity, minimum temperature, wind speed, dew point, precipitation, CO and NO₂ showed positive correlation, while maximum temperature, SO₂, PM2.5, PM₁₀ and O₃ showed negative correlation with cataract surgical volumes. Our findings provide empirical evidence for potential environmental influences on surgical timing decision in cataract management.