title: Serious adverse events after cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Over the past several decades, there have been many advances in the equipment, instrumentation and techniques of performing cataract surgery. This review will address the impact of these advances on the safety profile of cataract surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent studies have demonstrated a decline in the risk of serious postoperative adverse events (endophthalmitis, suprachoroidal hemorrhage, retinal detachment) following cataract surgery. Factors that increase the risk of serious complications from cataract surgery include patient-related factors (male sex, concomitant diabetic retinopathy, same day cataract surgery combined with another intraocular surgery, tamsulosin use) and surgeon-related factors (low surgical volume, limited experience, operating on patients who are most prone to adverse events).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cataract surgery continues to be a very well tolerated surgical procedure with few patients experiencing serious sight-threatening adverse events. Studies in the literature have helped surgeons identify patients who are at high risk for surgical complications and develop strategies to limit surgical complications when operating on these patients. As multifocal intraocular lenses, femtosecond laser technology, and other surgical innovations continue to gain popularity, it will be interesting in the coming years to determine whether there will be a continued reduction in complications of cataract surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA. jdstein@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications; D002832:Choroid Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors