Camberley, 20 May 2021 – Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, is delighted to announce publication of the National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) audit by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) which collects data on cataract surgery performed in England, Wales and Guernsey with the aim of providing benchmarked reports on performance for surgical centres and individual surgeons to improve patient care.

This publication was focused on cataract surgery outcomes, notably a study of post-cataract posterior capsule opacification (PCO), analysing over 600,000 operations from 58 centres. PCO is the most common post-op complication of cataract surgery and can result in reduced visual acuity, impaired contrast sensitivity and glare disability¹ that sometimes require additional surgical procedures. Comparative data on one-, three-, and five-year PCO rates were published suggesting clinicians should identify intraocular lenses (IOL) or other modifiable risk factors that impact PCO rates as this will offer substantial benefits to patients.

Bernie Chang, President of RCOphth said, “Alcon’s commitment to the National Ophthalmology Database demonstrates how partnerships between industry and RCOphth can be invaluable in sustaining projects that make a real difference to patient care. By working together, including funding from trusts, NOD can continue to produce independent, high quality performance outcomes and drive improvements which can result in considerable savings for an already over-burdened NHS.”

The data published strongly supports other existing clinical evidence of the outstanding benefits of specific models of Alcon’s AcrySof^® intraocular lenses in reducing the risk of PCO and its treatment Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy.^2,3 Notably, the data shows that at three years, the overall PCO YAG treatment rate for Monofocal Single Piece IOLs was 7.4%, while for the AcrySof^® IQ lens the associated rate was just 2.8%. There was also a clear distinction between hydrophobic and hydrophilic intraocular lenses; the associated PCO YAG treatment rate for hydrophilic IOLs at three years was 14.9%,⁴ which is greater than five times higher than the associated rate for the AcrySof IQ hydrophobic lens. This latest data offers additional confidence for clinicians and payers in choosing the specific models within the AcrySof family of intraocular lenses, which have been implanted in over 125 million eyes worldwide.⁵

Roger Lopez, Alcon International Surgical President said, “Alcon is all about helping patients see brilliantly; this means working with our surgeons on the best patient outcomes. With the building pressure on ophthalmology services, brilliant outcomes are essential from both a clinical and economic standpoint. Several of our AcrySof family of intraocular lenses have performed well in this data, so this sets the bar high for future innovation.”

About the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists champions excellence in the practice of ophthalmology through standards in training, education and assessment of ophthalmologists; supporting the promotion of research and innovation throughout the ophthalmic community. It is the main professional membership body for medically qualified ophthalmologists and for those who are undergoing specialist training to become ophthalmologists in the UK.

Learn more at www.rcophth.ac.uk.

About the National Ophthalmology Database Audit

The RCOphth National Ophthalmology Database conducts a national audit of cataract surgery outcomes from across England, Wales and Guernsey. The RCOphth NOD team collates and analyses a standardised and nationally agreed cataract surgery database. The raw data is supplied by centres in England, Wales and Guernsey that provide NHS cataract surgery services. Each year the RCOphth NOD audit produces an annual report which provides updated benchmark standards of care which can be used by Trusts and surgeons to recognise and action areas for quality improvement.

Learn more at www.nodaudit.org.uk.