Comparison of the Trend of Excimer laser refractive surgery in Provinces of Iran between 2010 and 2014

Purpose. The aim of the present study was to compare the trend of excimer laser refractive surgery in different provinces of Iran. Methods. This cross-sectional study was performed in 12 provinces of Iran in 2015 using the data of 2010 to 2014. A total of 28 surgical centers were selected. For each center, one week per season was randomly selected, giving a total of 20 weeks for all seasons of the study years. Then, to estimate the surgical rate in the selected provinces, since 4 weeks were selected each year, the number of operations on the 4 weeks was multiplied by 12.5 to generalize the results to 50 weeks (= 1 year). After applying the weight of each center, the number of refractive operations on each year was divided by the population of the province on that year, and reported per million population. Results. On average, Kermanshah (35.8%, P<0.001) and Tehran (3.1%, P<0.001) had the highest and lowest annual increase and Qom (11.8%, P<0.001) had the highest annual decrease in the rate of excimer laser refractive surgery, respectively. The highest rate was seen in Tehran in 2012 (8885 operations per million population) and the lowest rate was seen in Gilan in 2010 (142 operations per million population). Moreover, the concentration index was 0.25 in 2012, indicating a socioeconomic inequality in the rate of excimer laser refractive surgery. Conclusion. The results of the present study showed an increasing trend in the rate of the excimer laser refractive surgery in 9 Iranian provinces for the first time. Moreover, concerning the inequalities and the higher surgical rate in provinces with a better economic status, it is necessary to expand an insurance coverage and equip more public centers with the instruments and devices required for laser refractive surgery.