Office-Based Surgery

As cataract volumes continue to grow, there is growing interest in office-based surgery.

Safety is the most critical data point with respect to ophthalmic office-based surgery being accepted as an option for surgeons who are considering adding an in-office surgical suite to their practice.

An intravitreal injection is the most common procedure performed in ophthalmology.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Office-based surgery is quickly gaining momentum and may become the new standard of care for cataract surgery.

The three repetitive strain injury syndromes that shorten ophthalmic surgeon careers are cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder and thoracic outlet syndrome. Wikipedia provides a nice overview for the interested reader.

Musculoskeletal disorders are common among ophthalmologists.

Finishing a cataract surgery informed consent discussion, we are asked most commonly by patients, “When can I get it done?” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could look at our watch and say, “Both of your eyes are dilated — let’s adjust the chair.”

Over the years, Daniel S. Durrie, MD, has been through several eras of transition. In his early years as a surgeon, nearly all cataract surgeries were done in a hospital setting.

Corneal cross-linking, started by Theo Seiler and others, has changed the management of keratoconus. Guest columnist Farhad Hafezi, MD, PhD, FARVO, discusses how cross-linking performed at the slit lamp takes the procedure to another level.

Office-based surgery exploded into the popular consciousness with the publication of the 2015 Kaiser study, reporting more than 21,000 cataract operations performed safely and effectively in clinic minor procedure rooms.