Immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS): A single-site experience of 41 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The practice of immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) was more widely adopted in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to limited surgical capacity and the risk of nosocomial infection. This study reports on a single site experience of ISBCS in Northern Ireland.

METHODS: Data was collected prospectively between 17th November 2020 and 30th November 2021. The ISBCS surgical protocol, recommended by RCOphth and UKISCRS, was followed. Primary outcomes measures were: postoperative visual acuity (VA), refractive prediction accuracy, intraoperative and postoperative complications.

RESULTS: Of 41 patients scheduled, 39 patients completed ISBCS and two patients underwent unilateral surgery (n=80 eyes). Mean age at the time of surgery was 71.6 years (standard deviation (SD) ±11.8 years). Median preoperative VA was 0.8 logMAR (range: PL to 0.2 logMAR). Seventeen (20.9%) eyes were highly myopic and 9 (11.1%) eyes were highly hypermetropic. Median cumulative dissipated phacoemulsification energy was 15.7 sec (range: 1.8 sec to 83.4 sec). Median case time was 10.4 min (range: 4.3 min to 37.1 min).One eye (1.3%) developed iritis secondary to a retained tiny cortical fragment. Four eyes (5.0%, n=3 patients) developed cystoid macular oedema, with full resolution. On wide field imaging, an asymptomatic unilateral peripheral suprachoroidal haemorrhage was noted in two highly myopic patients (axial lengths of 27.01mm and 25.05mm respectively). The posterior pole was spared, and both resolved spontaneously without any visual impairment.

CONCLUSIONS: In our initial experience, ISBCS was found to be a safe approach to cataract surgery. Our patient cohort included eyes with dense cataracts and high ametropia. Further studies are required to assess patient reported outcome measures and the possible economic benefits of ISBCS in our local population.