Study Finds Operating on Both Cataract-Infected Eyes in One Day is Cheaper and Just as Safe as Operating Two Weeks Apart

It is cheaper and just as safe to operate on both eyes with cataracts on the same day, instead of two weeks apart, as is often the case today. This has emerged from a study led by Maastricht UMC +, about which it AD wrote this morning.

The publication appeared yesterday in the medical journal The Lancet. Cataracts are a condition in which the lens of the eye is no longer clear, causing blurry vision and colors to appear less bright. During cataract surgery, this cloudy lens is replaced by an artificial lens.

It has been possible to operate on both eyes in one day since the end of 2021, but according to researcher Lindsay Spekreijse, a number of issues had not yet been properly investigated.

For example, the relationship between the costs of the operation and the quality of life had not yet been properly examined, says Spekreijse. “We see that operating on two eyes in one day is cheaper, and that the outcomes are the same as with two operations.”

The researchers investigated whether the strength remaining after the full operation in one day is different than after two operations. With cataract surgery it is not possible to correct all the way down to 0, Spekreijse explains.

“An argument for two operations was previously put forward that you still have the chance to adjust the artificial lens for the second eye between the operations.” But the new research shows that this rarely happened, says Spekreijse. “The calculation methods for the lenses have improved greatly in recent years.”

According to Spekreijse, patients who underwent the operation on both eyes on the same day were “very enthusiastic”. One of those patients, Sandra Vorstenbosch, mentions in the AD that she only had to report sick once. And she “didn’t balk at that second surgery.”

With the complete operation in one day, costs are also reduced, the researchers say. This way, home care does not have to come by twice for the drip schedule, but start immediately with both eyes. In total, according to the researchers, up to 27 million euros in social costs can be saved annually.

The new treatment method is now already possible in a number of Dutch hospitals. The researchers have received a second grant to roll out this method across the country.

Opting for two separate operations will also remain possible for the time being, says Spekreijse. “Because some patients are not suitable for surgery one day because they have a higher risk of complications”. But according to her, the intention is that a one-day operation will soon be an option throughout the Netherlands. That should happen in the coming years.