ArticleDigital journal of ophthalmology : DJO2025
From normalcy to pandemic: analyzing cataract surgery patterns through case volumes and Google Trends (2014-2020).
Article in Digital journal of ophthalmology : DJO, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Purpose: To examine cataract surgery rates among Medicare beneficiaries alongside Google Trends data to unveil insights into patient engagement and healthcare dynamics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2014 to 2020). Methods: Data of Google Trends (GT) relative search volumes (RSV) was collected for 9 total Google search terms related to cataracts or cataract procedures. Univariate linear regression was used to determine the correlation between average annual Google RSV for each search term and the total annual case volumes among US Medicare beneficiaries. Seasonal and pandemic trends were also studied. Results: There were statistically significant positive correlations between search data and the annual case volumes for cataract surgeries among Medicare beneficiaries for 5 of the 9 search terms selected. There was greater search traffic in summer and fall. Annual case volumes remained consistent and increasing from 2019 to 2020 during the pandemic, but search traffic decreased sharply. Conclusions: The stable rate in cataract surgeries among Medicare beneficiaries despite decreased patient engagement during the pandemic represents successful maintenance of health-care continuity. Google Trends is useful in understanding public interest and determining resource allocation and healthcare needs.
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