Table 3

The estimated risk of simultaneous bilateral complications in otherwise uncomplicated surgery

Risk estimateEyes are independentEyes are not independent
First eyeSecond eyeEither eyeBoth eyesSecond eyeEither eyeBoth eyes
(A) Expulsive haemorrhage
 Upper limit29 1 in 8331 in 8331 in 4171 in 694 0001 in 6.5 1 in 6.41 in 5400
 Lower limit28 1 in 76921 in 76921 in 38461 in 60 000 0001 in 6.5 1 in 6.51 in 50 000
(B) Bacterial endophthalmitis
 Upper limit47 1 in 5551 in 5551 in 2781 in 308 0001 in 84 1 in 731 in 46 600
 Lower limit39 1 in 21411 in 21411 in 10721 in 4 580 0001 in 84 1 in 811 in 180 000
(C) Fungal endophthalmitis
 1990s1 in 4.62×106 1 in 4.62×106 1 in 2.31×106 1 in 2.13×1013 1 in 32 1 in 321 in 1.20×108
  • Based on ICCE rate.28

  • Somani et al.47

  • Derived from 33 cases of published fungal endophalmitis following an estimated 120 million cataract extractions in the USA in the 1990s.18 45 47 55 56 58-63 65-68

  • Weissgold et al. 67