Refractive Outcomes After Cataract Surgery-The Impact of Preoperative Visual Acuity, the Intraocular Lens Model, and the Surgeon's Experience: An Empirical Analysis of Hungarian and Kosovan Patients.

Background/Objectives: Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation comprise a standard procedure for cataract treatment. However, minimal refractive error remains a determinant of postoperative results. Our study aimed to evaluate the refractive outcomes and the impact of the surgeon's experience and the IOL model on Kosovan and Hungarian patients after cataract surgery. Methods: This study included the preoperative and postoperative data of 1417 patients scheduled to undergo cataract surgery with IOL implantation at two centers: the Ophthalmology Department of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, and the Ophthalmology Department of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo. STATA and SPSS were used for statistical analysis. Results: The data of 1001 Hungarian and 416 Kosovan patients were included in this study. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the 1-month postoperative best-corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) (p = 0.001); in the Hungarian patients, the 1-month BCDVA was 85.2%, while in the Kosovan patients, it was 49.6%. Of the 14 different IOLs implanted in the Hungarian patients, the AcrySof IQ toric SN6AT, FineVision HP (POD F GF), and 677MTY IOLs resulted in a statistically significant positive impact on the 1-month postoperative visual acuity (p < 0.05). The AcrySof SA60AT and Akreos ADAPT AO, implanted in the Kosovan patients, had a statistically significant positive impact on the 1-month postoperative visual acuity (p < 0.05). More extensive surgeon experience had a statistically significant positive impact on postoperative outcomes (p < 0.00). Conclusions: Multifocal and toric IOLs showed superiority in terms of postoperative outcomes in our study; therefore, we conclude that greater surgeon experience, the availability of premium IOLs, and appropriate IOL selection have a considerable impact on refractive outcomes after cataract surgery.