Gender and cataract surgery in Sweden 1992‐1997, A retrospective observational study based on the Swedish National Cataract Register

PURPOSE: To study the gender difference in total utilisation of cataract surgery in Sweden during the years 1992-1997. METHODS: The study is based on data from the National Swedish Cataract Register which covers about 95% of all cataract operations performed in Sweden during the study period. RESULTS: Utilisation of cataract surgery in Sweden was significantly higher in females than in males for all age groups between 50 and 89 years of age during the period 1992-1997. This gender difference was more pronounced for second eye surgery than first eye surgery in most age groups. The gender difference varied also depending on the pre-operative visual acuity. CONCLUSION: The cataract surgery rate was significantly higher for females compared to males during the study period. Three hypotheses to explain the gender difference are discussed.