Posters

Surgical outcome of extracapsular cataract extraction performed by junior resident trainees: should you be concerned?

Poster Details

First Author: A.Kee SINGAPORE

Co Author(s):    L. Lee                    

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To evaluate the surgical outcome and safety profile of junior ophthalmology trainees performing their first 50 extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) in patients with visually significant and dense cataracts.

Setting:

Junior ophthalmology trainees in their first to third year of residency in National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.

Methods:

This is a descriptive retrospective study of surgical outcomes of 600 ECCE cases performed by 12 junior ophthalmology trainees from March 2013 to December 2018. Inclusion criteria included (1) first 50 ECCE cases performed by junior ophthalmology trainees (2) trainee as primary surgeon. Primary outcome measures, which included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and number and types of complications (including posterior capsule rupture (PCR)), were recorded from surgical logbooks of all junior trainees. Patients were followed up for a minimum period of 3 months post-operatively.

Results:

600 eyes were evaluated. Excluding 51 eyes who were lost to follow up and 24 eyes that had underlying ocular disease that predisposed them to poor visual outcome, most eyes (94.9%; 498/525) achieved BCVA 6/12 or better within 6 months post-operatively. All eyes (100%) had post-operative VA equal to or better than pre-operative VA. An overall complication rate of 7% (42/600) was found, namely wound leak +/- iris prolapse 2.8% (15/600), zonulysis 1.2% (7/600), PCR 1% (6/600), and Descemet membrane detachment 0.5% (3/600). Only 4 of these patients (0.2%;4/600) had BCVA 6/12 or poorer due to intra- or post-operative complications.

Conclusions:

This study shows that good visual outcome and low rates of major complications can be achieved amongst junior ophthalmology trainees who are undergoing their first few series of cataract surgeries. Our outcome fares favourably with published cases of cataract surgery outcomes of trainees from other centres around the world.

Financial Disclosure:

None