There was a notable lower in widespread ophthalmic procedures amongst Medicare beneficiaries in the course of the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a examine printed Feb. 6 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Raziyeh Mahmoudzadeh, M.D., from the Virginia Commonwealth College in Richmond, and colleagues estimated adjustments within the charges of the ten most prevalent ophthalmic procedures amongst Medicare beneficiaries in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in a retrospective U.S. cross-sectional examine. The analyses included 3,879,533 process entries in 2019 and three,181,439 entries in 2020.
The researchers discovered that from 2019 to 2020, there was a −17.9% total lower within the charges of the ten ophthalmic procedures. The biggest discount was seen for laser peripheral iridotomy, whereas the smallest lower was seen for eye drug injections (−43.6 and −1.5%, respectively). There was a discount of −23.0% in cataract surgical procedure. Regionally, the best reductions in cataract surgical procedure occurred within the Northeast (−27.9%).
“Our results demonstrated an overall decrease of 17.9% in the rates of the 10 most prevalent ophthalmic procedures during the pandemic,” the authors write. “This reduction appears less substantial compared with other fields of medicine, like ear, nose and throat, where up to 98% reduction in volume of surgical procedures was reported.”
Extra info:
Raziyeh Mahmoudzadeh et al, COVID-19 Pandemic and Charges of Frequent Ophthalmic Procedures Amongst Medicare Beneficiaries, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.6065
Sean T. Berkowitz et al, Can Medicare Information Describe COVID-19 Apply Sample Modifications?, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.6183
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From 2019 to 2020, ophthalmic procedures in seniors decreased by 17.9% (2025, February 18)
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