The Safety and Efficacy of Day Care Cataract Surgery

PURPOSE To evaluate safety and efficacy of day care cataract surgery in developing country. PATIENTS AND METHODS This prospective study included 200 patients planned for cataract surgery during October and November 2012 divided in to two groups, day care cataract surgery (DCCS) and inpatient cataract surgery (ICS), with same number of male and female patients right and left eyes. All patients had same operative conditions and postoperative follow up. RESULTS The average age of patients in this study was 68.4 +/- 7.47 years. Visual acuity before cataract extraction was 0.1754 where 44.5% of patients had severe visual impairment and another 23% had complicated cataract. Posterior capsule rupture was noted in 4.5% of cases. The main risk factors in both groups were: higher age, female gender, left side, complicated cataract, higher dioptric power of IOL and ECCE. Regular control opthalmologic examinations 30, 90 and 180 days after the cataract extraction did not reveal signs bullous keratopathy, wound dehiscence, cystoid macular edema and endophtalmitis in any of patients. Postoperative visual acuity 180 days after the operation in DCCS was 0.920 +/- 0.154 and 0.928 +/- 0.144 in ICS. Visual acuity less than 0.5 was noted in 4.5% due to posterior eye segment changes. Patients in DCCS group had 30 control examinations more and 95 days of hospitalization less than ICS with 16.5% cost reduction. CONCLUSION The concept of day care cataract surgery is equally safe and more cost effective than inpatient cataract surgery.