To investigate the current situation and future trends in the field of cataract surgery in Korea.

Since 1995, the members of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (KSCRS) have conducted annual surveys on cataract and refractive surgery. The 2006 annual survey, consisting of 89 multiple-choice questions, was mailed in February 2007 to 289 KSCRS members. Sixty (20.7%) members answered the questions. Current data were compared with data of previous annual surveys and with data of surveys in the United States and Europe.

Fifty-one percent of the respondents were in their fifties. The duration of hospital stays has decreased annually, and the use of topical anesthesia (53%) has not changed. Self-sealing wound construction was the main wound closure technique in phacoemulsification (52%). The implantation of phakic intraocular lenses (IOL) was performed on 50% of the respondents, and the preferred IOLs for small incision cataract surgery were acrylic (87%). Interest in the added value of IOL has increased annually.

This survey summarized current trends and changes in cataract surgery in Korea.