Office-based lens surgery for cataracts, refractive lens exchanges and phakic IOL implantation is as safe as lens surgery at other sites, according to a new study conducted by iOR Partners and led by Medical Director Lance Kugler, MD.
Office-based lens surgery centers are accredited operating rooms within a practice, as opposed to in an ASC.
The iOR study, which was published June 5 in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, evaluated more than 18,000 consecutive patients who underwent office-based lens surgeries at 36 sites in the U.S., determining that office-based lens surgery can be performed safely, with adverse event rates similar to or lower than those in the published literature, according to a June 27 news release.
Outcome measures included the assessment of intra- and postoperative complications. The rates of postoperative endophthalmitis, toxic anterior segment syndrome and corneal edema were 0.028 percent, 0.022 percent and 0.027 percent, respectively. Unplanned vitrectomy was performed in 0.177 percent of patients.
"Trends suggest a shift from ASCs to office-based surgery suites as the new normal for ophthalmic surgery over the next 10 years. As eye surgeons consider modifying their practice paradigm to include OBS, they want to ensure it is safe. This study provides surgeons with the safety data and transparency that they need," James Williams, CEO of iOR, said in the release.