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This study aimed to analyze the trends and factors influencing the number of ophthalmic surgeries in Japan using the open data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. We calculated the number of cataract, glaucoma, and vitreoretinal surgeries, categorized by sex, age, and surgical type, for the fiscal years (FY) 2014 to 2020. The number of cataract surgeries remained stable at approximately 1.45 million cases from FY 2014 to 2018, increased to nearly 1.6 million cases in FY 2019, and decreased to 1.45 million cases in FY 2020. Among glaucoma surgeries, surgical treatments were increased 1.8 times over 7 years, from 33,000 to 60,000 cases. Laser treatment remained steady at around 55,000 cases from FY 2014 to 2017 and then increased to approximately 60,000 cases. The number of vitreoretinal surgeries was increased 1.2 times from FY 2014 to 2019, from 120,000 to 140,000, and decreased to 130,000 by FY 2020. Trends in ophthalmic surgeries over the past 7 years may be influenced by population aging, minimally invasive surgery, and the coronavirus disease pandemic. These findings have implications on surgical decision-making and resource allocation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To investigate the association between the use of topical β-blockers and subsequent asthma attacks in glaucoma patients with asthma., Methods: This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study using an administrative claims database. All patients aged 20 years or older who were registered in the health insurance claims database updated and managed by JMDC Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). Patients who were newly prescribed eye drops for glaucoma treatment were identified between 2011 and 2017. The patients with glaucoma were divided into two groups: β-blocker users and non-β-blocker users, based on the presence of a β-blocker in the prescribed eye drops. We investigated whether the incidence of asthma attacks in patients with previously treated asthma differed between the two groups., Results: We categorized 17,666 patients in the β-blocker-user group and 12,609 patients in the non-β-blocker-user group. A total of 580 patients in the β-blocker group (3.28%) and 847 in the non-β-blocker group (6.72%) underwent asthma treatment before the prescription of anti-glaucoma eye drops (P < 0.001). Furthermore, 94 patients in the β-blocker-user group (0.53%) and 278 in the non-β-blocker user group (2.20%) were undergoing current treatment for asthma (P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of asthma attacks were 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.46-1.16, P = 0.18) in patients with a history of asthma treatment and 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.56-2.70, P = 0.62) in patients with current asthma treatment, compared to the non-β-blocker-user group., Conclusion: Our results clarified that several patients with asthma were prescribed topical β-blockers for glaucoma treatment. However, asthma attacks may not be significantly attributed to topical β-blockers, even in glaucoma patients under current asthma treatment. The administration of topical β-blockers to asthma patients could be a treatment option in the absence of other treatment options, if adequate informed consent is obtained. Further studies are needed to draw a firm conclusion on this clinical question., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To investigate the association between the use of topical β-blockers and subsequent asthma attacks in glaucoma patients with asthma. Methods: This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study using an administrative claims database. All patients aged 20 years or older who were registered in the health insurance claims database updated and managed by JMDC Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). Patients who were newly prescribed eye drops for glaucoma treatment were identified between 2011 and 2017. The patients with glaucoma were divided into two groups: β-blocker users and non-β-blocker users, based on the presence of a β-blocker in the prescribed eye drops. We investigated whether the incidence of asthma attacks in patients with previously treated asthma differed between the two groups. Results: We categorized 17,666 patients in the β-blocker-user group and 12,609 patients in the non-β-blocker-user group. A total of 580 patients in the β-blocker group (3.28%) and 847 in the non-β-blocker group (6.72%) underwent asthma treatment before the prescription of anti-glaucoma eye drops (P < 0.001). Furthermore, 94 patients in the β-blocker-user group (0.53%) and 278 in the non-β-blocker user group (2.20%) were undergoing current treatment for asthma (P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of asthma attacks were 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.46–1.16, P = 0.18) in patients with a history of asthma treatment and 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.56–2.70, P = 0.62) in patients with current asthma treatment, compared to the non-β-blocker-user group. Conclusion: Our results clarified that several patients with asthma were prescribed topical β-blockers for glaucoma treatment. However, asthma attacks may not be significantly attributed to topical β-blockers, even in glaucoma patients under current asthma treatment. The administration of topical β-blockers to asthma patients could be a treatment option in the absence of other treatment options, if adequate informed consent is obtained. Further studies are needed to draw a firm conclusion on this clinical question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]