• cataract surgery

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists published cataract surgery guidelines¹ in February 2001. This document includes protocols relating to postoperative visits suggesting that there are no additional risks to patients who are not reviewed on the first postoperative day. This is a change in recommendation from previous college guidelines in 1995 suggesting a review within 48 hours.

There may follow a growing impetus for ophthalmologists to dispense with the first day review, given the reduced demand on clinician time and the corresponding accrual of staffing and financial resource benefits. While we applaud the dissemination of practice guidelines, they constitute “merely tools, not rules” to aid clinical decision making. They may have inherent limitations in particular circumstances and may require evaluation for effective application in clinical settings.

Four studies were quoted by the guideline authors, three of which advocated the omission of day after review^2–4 and one of which was equivocal,⁵ suggesting that it was unsafe …