TY - JOUR T1 - Temporal trends in ophthalmic surgical demand in a universal healthcare system: an Ontario population-based study of over two decades JF - BMJ Open Ophthalmology JO - BMJ Open Ophth DO - 10.1136/bmjophth-2021-000937 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - e000937 AU - Tina Felfeli AU - Gener Austria AU - Reeza Menalo AU - Sherif R El-Defrawy AU - Diana Vasiliu AU - Claudia Zanchetta AU - Beate Sander Y1 - 2022/02/01 UR - http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/7/1/e000937.abstract N2 - The global demand for eye health services is growing with increasing life expectancy and the ageing population.1 The estimated prevalence and relative contribution of avoidable causes of blindness and vision impairment globally is 9600 cases per 100 000 people, with cataract and glaucoma as the leading global causes of blindness in those aged 50 years and older.1 Cataract surgery and other vision saving surgeries are among the most cost-effective healthcare interventions currently available.2 However, increasing case volume and backlogs in ophthalmic surgery will place unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems, particularly those with a limited ability to increase throughput.3 Data regarding demand and supply of surgery is required to inform surgical policies for optimal outcomes and equitable care.3In many jurisdictions including the USA, there is a lack of population-based ophthalmic surgical data, and therefore, the unmet demand is unknown. The Canadian universal healthcare context is uniquely positioned to provide an overview of the demand for ophthalmic surgeries in a developed country. Herein, we report the trends in surgical volumes, wait times and characteristics of adult patients on the wait list in Ontario, the largest province in Canada’s universal healthcare system.This is a population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada, which followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guideline.Data for the period of January 2010 to February 2020 were obtained from the provincial Wait Times Information System (WTIS) from Ontario Health, which … ER -