PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and economic aspects of cataract surgery by phacoemulsification, when compared to extracapsular extraction. METHODS: A prospective study on 162 subjects was carried out at the "Hospital das Clínicas", Medical School of the University of São Paulo in 2002. The subjects who had cataract were randomized for surgery by phacoemulsification and by extracapsular extraction. RESULTS: In this study, phacoemulsification technique allowed the use of local anesthesia. The number of follow-up visits and the postoperative time offered quick visual restoration and clinical discharge. The use of phacoemulsification in the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo contributed to quick surgery, optimized the surgery theater and showed cost-effective advantages for the hospital. CONCLUSION: According to the conditions of the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo, we concluded that the total costs of cataract surgery by phacoemulsification are higher than those by extracapsular extraction, and surgery fees offered by the Public Health Service to the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo have shown more cost-effective advantages for phacoemulsification than for extracapsular extraction.
Cataract extraction; Cataract extraction; Phacoemulsification; Phacoemulsification; Blindness; Economic factors; Hospitals, teaching; Comparative study
