Cost effectiveness of cataract surgery - A comparison of conventional extracapsular surgery and phacoemulsification at Flinders Medical Centre

Purpose: To compare the cost of conventional extracapsular cataract surgery and phacoemulsification at Flinders Medical Centre. Methods: The costs of the two forms of cataract surgery were assessed over a 12-month period. During this period 410 cataract operations were performed. Setting: The cataract surgery was carried out in a dedicated day surgery unit in a teaching hospital. Outcome measure: The direct, indirect and tangible costs were measured. Results: Conventional extracapsular cataract surgery with posterior chamber lens implant costs $1000.85 and phacoemulsification with lens implantation costs $1231.00. Conclusions: Although conventional extracapsular surgery generates slightly lower costs than phacoemulsification, the cost difference is small. In generating these figures, some assumptions must be made and the real difference may prove to be less than this.