CMO risk is not purely eye-specific; some data support patient-level susceptibility.¹
Large database analyses show that when pseudophakic CMO occurs after first-eye surgery, the risk in the fellow eye at subsequent cataract surgery rises substantially compared with those without first-eye CMO.¹
This has direct implications for bilateral sequential surgery.
When CMO occurs in the first eye, the second eye should be approached with upgraded prophylaxis, closer OCT surveillance and more detailed counselling.
From a patient-experience perspective, this is a pivotal moment: how risk is explained, how prevention is planned, and how monitoring is structured determines whether the patient remains confident or becomes anxious.²
A written second-eye plan with extended combination therapy and earlier OCT checks can convert a prior complication into a demonstration of meticulous care, reinforcing both clinical credibility and long-term confidence.
References
- Shakarchi AF, Robbie SJ, Giri P, et al. Fellow-eye risk of cystoid macular oedema after cataract surgery. Ophthalmology. 2023;130(11):1180-1186.
- Henderson BA, Kim JY, Ament CS, et al. Clinical pseudophakic CMO risk factors. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2007;33(9):1550-1558.
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