Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy rates in the Netherlands: practice variation and association with physician practice styles

Abstract

To determine the practice variation in the rate of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy within 1 year after cataract surgery and to identify possible associations with physician practice styles.Setting:All hospitals and private clinics in the Netherlands.Design:Retrospective observational study.Methods:In the national medical claims database, we identified all laser capsulotomies performed in the Netherlands within a year after cataract surgery in the years 2016 and 2017. Centers with the lowest and highest percentages of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomies were interviewed on their physician practice styles related to the development of posterior capsule opacification.Results:The incidence of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy varied between 1.2% and 26.0% in 2016 (median 5.0%) and between 0.9% and 22.7% in 2017 (median 5.0%). The rate of capsulotomy was highly consistent over time for each center (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.89, P