Researchers at Harvard Medical School Discuss Findings in Managed Care (Prevalence, Surgical Trends, and Economic Burden of Cataract in Medicare Population in the United States): Managed Care

2025 OCT 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Managed Care is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “To evaluate the prevalence, surgical trends, and economic burden of cataract among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older in the United States. Retrospective cohort study. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years diagnosed with cataract between 2014 and 2021, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS).”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Harvard Medical School, “Cataract cases were identified using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, while surgical interventions were determined using CPT codes. Annual prevalence, surgical trends, and economic burden were analyzed, with data stratified by sex and racial/ethnic groups. Economic burden estimates incorporated inflation-adjusted direct and indirect costs. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U tests, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s post-hoc tests. Prevalence of cataract, surgical treatment rates, Medicare reimbursements, and per-person economic burden of untreated cataract. Cataract prevalence increased from 36.38% in 2014 to 37.03% in 2021, with an estimated national burden rising from 15.7 million to 19.6 million cases. Females showed a higher prevalence than males (p <0.0022), and prevalence was highest among White individuals, followed by Asian, Native American, Black, and Hispanic populations (p <0.0001). Annual cataract surgeries plateaued at approximately 1.4 million, with Black beneficiaries having the lowest surgical rates (p <0.0001). Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursements for cataract surgery decreased from $1.015 billion in 2014 to $741 million in 2021, while the per-person economic burden of untreated cataract increased from $33,362 in 2014 to $38,955 in 2021. Cataract prevalence among older adults in the U.S. is rising, while surgical access is stagnant, with notable racial disparities and declining Medicare reimbursements.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The increasing economic burden of untreated cataracts underscores the need for targeted policies to improve equitable access to surgical care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Prevalence, Surgical Trends, and Economic Burden of Cataract in Medicare Population in the United States. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2025. American Journal of Ophthalmology can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; American Journal of Ophthalmology - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/american-journal-of-ophthalmology/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Rohan Bir Singh, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Publisher contact information for the American Journal of Ophthalmology is: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

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