Is it Safe to Omit the One-week Postoperative Examination after Uncomplicated Phacoemulsification?

Abstract

The incidence of cataract surgery is increasing, accounting for a large percentage of eye care expenses. Scientific evidence supporting the medical necessity of the traditional postoperative schedule is lacking. Further studies are needed to optimize postoperative care to reduce the burden on patients and medical providers. To study the rate of complication one week after uncomplicated phacoemulsification to determine if the one-week postoperative examination can be safely omitted. A retrospective record review was conducted on all consecutive patients who had uncomplicated phacoemulsification between February 1, 2019, and February 1, 2020, at a clinic in an urban setting with a predominantly black and African American patient population. Subjects were included if they had no complications during the one-day postoperative examination. Complications at the one-week and one-month postoperative examination were recorded and analyzed. Omitting the one-week postoperative examination would result in missed complications in 4.48%-15.97% of patients and failure to make unexpected management changes in 1.78% to 13.84% of patients. The results of this study do not support omitting the one-week postoperative examination after uncomplicated phacoemulsification. Further studies are needed to determine whether telemedicine can be safely substituted for postoperative examinations.