Increasing frequency of hospital admissions for retinal detachment and vitreo-retinal surgery in England 2000-2018

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesTo analyse the changes in reported frequency of retinal detachment admissions and vitreo-retinal surgery procedures performed between 2000-2018 in England. To obtain information useful to contribute towards the planning of service delivery.MethodsAnalysis of England’s Hospital Episode Statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre and population data from the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics.ResultsEpisodes of “retinal detachments with breaks” increased year on year from 3,447 (7.0/100M) in 2000 to 10,971 (19.7/100M) in 2018 (p<0.001), whereas records of “tractional retinal detachment” increased from 290 (0.6/100M) to 910 (1.6/100M) in the same period (p<0.0001). The number of reported pars plana vitrectomies irrespective of indication increased over fourfold from 5,761 to 26,900 (p<0.0001), while the number of scleral buckling records decreased by two thirds from 2,897 to 780 (p<0.0001). During the same period the population of England increased from 49.2 million-55.6 million, proportionally at a slower rate than that for recorded hospital episodes.ConclusionsThe frequency of admissions to hospital for surgically treated retinal detachment seems to have been increasing significantly since 2000. This effect is more marked in cases of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. This may be partially explained by repeat surgery in cases of recurrent retinal detachment. Other possible explanations may be increased incidence of disease (due to increased rates of cataract surgery, increasing longevity and rates of myopia), improvements in patient access, and increased public awareness. It is possible that this observation is due in part to local changes in methodology of hospital coding.