[News in Numbers] Last Year’s Most Common Surgery: Cataract Ranked No. 1

Last year, the surgery most frequently received by our citizens was cataract surgery.

According to the "2023 Major Surgery Statistics Yearbook" released by the National Health Insurance Service, the number of cataract surgeries performed domestically last year was 638,000, making it the highest among 34 major surgeries. Although this represents a decrease of about 13% compared to 736,000 cases in 2022, it has maintained the top spot as the most frequent surgery for five consecutive years.

Following cataract surgery, the most common surgeries among our citizens were general spine surgery with 207,000 cases (195,000 patients) and hemorrhoid surgery with 152,000 cases (150,000 patients).

According to the "2023 Major Surgery Statistics Yearbook" published by the National Health Insurance Service, the number of cataract surgeries performed in Korea last year was 638,000, the highest among 34 major surgeries. Getty Images

The number of surgeries per 100,000 people was 3,768, with cataract surgery (1,204 cases) again being the most frequent. Next were cesarean section surgeries with 555 cases and general spine surgeries with 390 cases.

Cataracts are a visual impairment disease caused by clouding of the lens, a tissue in the eye. It causes overall blurred vision and sometimes double vision (diplopia). There can also be a phenomenon called night blindness, where vision is poor during the day but clearer in dark places or at night. Other symptoms include glare and halos around lights.

According to the National Health Insurance Service, the medical cost for cataract surgery is 1.29 million KRW, which is relatively low among 34 major surgical procedures. However, in terms of total medical expenses, cataract surgery ranked third after general spinal surgery (1.0157 trillion KRW) and artificial knee joint replacement surgery (839.7 billion KRW). Getty Images

If detected early, the progression can be slowed with medication, but if it progresses beyond the mid-stage or when necessary, cataract surgery is performed to remove the clouded lens and implant an artificial intraocular lens.

According to the National Health Insurance Service, the medical cost for cataract surgery is 1.29 million KRW, which is relatively low among the 34 major surgeries. Surgeries with higher per-case medical costs include heart surgery (36.83 million KRW), coronary artery bypass surgery (35.25 million KRW), and stem cell transplantation (23.23 million KRW).

However, in terms of total medical expenses, cataract surgery ranked third after general spine surgery (1.0157 trillion KRW) and artificial knee joint replacement surgery (839.7 billion KRW).

One way to prevent cataracts is to block ultraviolet rays as much as possible during outdoor activities. Since UV rays accelerate eye aging, wearing UV-blocking glasses or hats helps reduce eye fatigue. It is also important to reduce the time spent using digital devices, as the electromagnetic waves from smartphones, laptops, and other devices easily cause eye fatigue.