LAUSR

PURPOSE To determine current prevalence and trends of pseudophakia in a well-defined U.S. population, calculating values for Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1988 through 2018. SETTING Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. DESIGN Population-Based Cohort Study. METHODS Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) databases were used to identify all cases of pseudophakia in Olmsted County, Minnesota, between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 2018. Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates were calculated in 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018 using REP census population estimates and mortality counts. Poisson regression analysis was used to assess changes in prevalence over time. Mortality rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS In 2018, 10,024 county residents were pseudophakic in at least one eye, for a total population prevalence of 6.5%. Prevalence increased 67% in the last 10 years and 590% in the last 30 years (P<0.001). By 2018, 51% of residents aged 75 years and 88% of residents aged 85 years and older were pseudophakic in at least one eye, 53% of pseudophakic residents 65 years and older were bilaterally pseudophakic, and 29% of pseudophakic residents had lived with pseudophakia for more than 10 years. Prevalence was higher among women than men and increased with age (P<0.001). Overall, pseudophakia had a lower all-cause mortality compared to the general Minnesota population (P<0.001). CONCLUSION In 2018, the majority of residents aged 75 years and older were pseudophakic in at least one eye. These numbers underscore the changing visual status of older adults and the large number of adults who benefit from cataract surgery.