Practice styles and preferences of Finnish cataract surgeons - 1998 survey

Purpose: To collect information of current cataract surgery techniques in Finland. Methods: A questionnaire of 36 multiple choice questions about practice styles and preferences in cataract surgery was sent to 153 ophthalmologists in Finland, In three weeks, 75 respondents returned the questionnaire (49 %), and of these 68 (44 %) reported doing cataract surgery. Results and conclusions: Topical anesthesia, temporal approach for the incision, either clear corneal or frown scleral, no suture closure of the wound, continuous circular capsulorhexis, phacoemulsification technique and foldable IOLs are often preferred in Finland. It can be calculated that this survey represents roughly 70-80% of all performed cataract operations in Finland and thus these results may be regarded as a reliable picture of current cataract surgery techniques in Finland.