Study finds low rate of adverse events in office-based lens surgery

The rate of adverse events associated with office-based cataract or refractive lens surgery is similar to or lower than the reported adverse event rate for modern cataract surgery in ambulatory surgery center settings, according to a study.

The study, which included 36 participating sites across the country, aimed to assess the safety of this procedure commonly used for visually significant cataracts, refractive lens exchange (RLE), and phakic IOL implantation.

The analysis examined the case records of 18,005 consecutive patients who underwent office-based lens surgery between August 2020 and May 2022. The researchers focused on intra- and postoperative complications, including unplanned vitrectomy, iritis, corneal edema, endophthalmitis, and the need for additional medical interventions such as a return to the operation room (OR), referral to a retina surgeon, hospitalization, or emergency services calls.

The results of the study revealed a low rate of adverse events in office-based lens surgery. The incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis, toxic anterior segment syndrome, and corneal edema was found to be 0.028%, 0.022%, and 0.027%, respectively.

In addition, only 0.177% of patients required an unplanned anterior vitrectomy. The rates of patients needing to return to the OR or being referred to the hospital were 0.067% and 0.011%, respectively.

Reference
Kugler LJ, Kapeles M, Durrie DS. Safety of Office-Based Lens Surgery: A U.S. Multicenter Study. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2023;doi: 10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000001231. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37276271.