165 Cataract Surgery: What Intraoperative Factors Impact Surgical Outcomes in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs)

Abstract

Abstract Aim To describe what intraoperative factors affect the outcomes of cataract surgery in LMICs. Method The following databases were screened to find relevant articles: EMBASE (1974–2019), MEDLINE (1946–2019), Global health (1973–2019), PubMed, Cochrane library and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Following this, duplicates were removed, and articles underwent screening. Results Perioperative checks – It has been recommended for LMICs to implement similar surgical checklists to what is used in the UK, to reduce the chance of surgical complications. Having the right team - The cataract surgery team may vary in different countries. For example, in Ethiopia the staffing model includes ophthalmologists, non-physician cataract surgeons (NPCS), ophthalmic officers, ophthalmic nurses, operating room nurses and integrated eye care workers. It is common in LMICs for NPCS to outnumber ophthalmologists. Adequately skilled professionals – It’s important to consider having vitreoretinal surgical input available should surgical complications arise. This will help to optimise outcomes. Surgical technique – Techniques performed in LMICs include ICCE (intracapsular cataract extraction), ECCE (extracapsular cataract extraction and MSICS (manual small incision surgery) and phacoemulsification. ECCE and MSICS is the most commonly used in LMICS due to comparable outcomes with phacoemulsification and cost effectiveness. Surgical training and skills transfer – Various international training programmes such as the HelpMeSee programme is designed to help train ophthalmologists and NPCS in MSICS via simulation. Conclusions The above factors are important considerations which influence surgical availability and success. LMICs have an increasingly aging population and cataract services will be required to adapt to the increase demand.