Efficacy of pre-operative risk stratification on cataract surgeries in India

Abstract

Cataract remains a leading cause of global blindness, highlighting the importance of effective surgical management. Hence, we evaluated 212 cataract surgeries performed by Indian medical residents to assess the utility of preoperative risk stratification in predicting complications and guiding case allocation. We found that high risk scores were significantly associated with increased intraoperative complications and poor postoperative visual outcomes (p < 0.001). Logistic regression identified preoperative BCVA, risk score and resident experience as significant predictors of complications. Thus, risk stratification is a valuable tool in enhancing patient safety and surgical training in teaching hospitals.

Keywords: Cataract surgery; risk stratification; small incision cataract surgery (SICS); visual outcome.