Gender and referral to cataract surgery in Sweden

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate how cataract surgery was initiated and analyse possible gender difference in referral to surgery. Methods: Consecutive patients scheduled for first eye cataract surgery at three Swedish community-run eye departments were interviewed concerning how surgery was initiated. Results: 649 patients were interviewed and 63.2% were female. The number of patients referred to surgery by an earlier contact with a health care provider was 271 (41.8%) and the remaining 378 (58.2%) patients had actively requested advice or help because of visual problems caused by cataract and without a prior regular contact. 44.7% of female patients were referred through a health care provider they visited for reasons other than cataract and the corresponding number for male patients was 36.8%. This gender difference is statistically significant at the 5% level. Conclusion: A health care provider that patients visited for other problems than cataract referred female patients to cataract surgery to a significantly higher degree than male patients.