title: Benefits and risks of immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery: a literature review.
abstract: Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) is a highly contended issue in ophthalmology, mainly due to the risk of bilateral endophthalmitis and financial penalties that many ophthalmologists face when performing simultaneous cataract surgeries. The purpose of this review is to understand the current status of the knowledge of ISBCS, mainly its benefits and risks and how they compare with the standard of care, delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery. Evidence, although limited, increasingly supports ISBCS for providing faster rehabilitation, improved visual outcomes, and cost and time savings. Evidence does not support the fear of bilateral endophthalmitis resulting from the simultaneous procedure. However, stronger and greater evidence is needed before ISBCSs can be considered the standard of care. Where ISBCS can potentially create the most beneficial impact is in public eye health programmes in developing countries, but this has not yet been explored.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Mexicano de Oftalmología Circuito Exterior Estadio Corregidora S/N, Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.|Department of Ophthalmology, Hamilton Eye Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennesee, USA.|HelpMeSee, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Van C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Lansingh
authors.affiliation: Independent Consultant in Prevention of Blindness, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Kristen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.affiliation: HelpMeSee, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D018570:Risk Assessment
keywords: cataract; cataract blindness control; cataract surgery; post-cataract extraction