Comparison of Intraocular Pressure in the Early Post-Operative Period After Phacoemulsification

Abstract

Purpose : At our institution, it is not uncommon for patients drive up to 100 miles to have their cataract surgery performed. In many cases, it is a considerable burden for patients to return the day after surgery for their initial post-operative evaluation. We retrospectively compared post-operative intraocular pressure (IOP) and complications among eyes that underwent their initial post-operative visit on the same day vs. the traditional post-operative day 1 (POD1).

Methods : This is a retrospective review of 61 patients who underwent phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens placement of one eye between July 2015 and August 2015 by two resident surgeons. 39 patients had their first post-operative visit on the same day as their cataract extraction, while 22 patients had their first post-operative visit on POD1. Comparisons between groups were made using the student’s t-test for statistical analysis.

Results : Patients that had their first post-operative visit on the same day as cataract extraction had a mean IOP of 18.05 +/- 5.81mmHg, which was similar to the patients with mean IOP of 17.09 +/- 4.14mmHg that were initially examined POD1 (p=0.50). There were no differences (p>0.05) in early post-operative interventions required between groups. There were no additional complications among patients who chose to have their initial post-operative visit on the afternoon of their surgery day compared to those who returned on the traditional POD1.

Conclusions : Conclusions: In patients that find it difficult to return for a POD1 visit after cataract extraction, an acceptable alternative is to perform their first post-operative visit in the afternoon of the surgical day. However, our preference remains to have the initial post-operative visit on the day following surgery due to the ability of the patient to recover from anesthesia more thoroughly and be better versed in their post-operative instructions. All patients electing to have their initial post-operative visit on the surgical day are educated on the importance to call our on-call service and return to our clinic for immediate evaluation if they experience any unexpected signs or symptoms.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.