Even when reimbursed, CMO is expensive for a private clinic. Each case usually generates extra OCT scans, extended steroid–NSAID courses, additional follow-up appointments and more surgeon time spent in detailed counselling.
Opportunity cost is substantial: chair time devoted to prolonged recovery cannot be used for new assessments or surgery planning.
Real-world analyses show that pseudophakic CMO is associated with multiple additional eye-related outpatient visits and higher overall care costs compared with uncomplicated cataract surgery.¹
By contrast, robust prophylaxis and OCT-based surveillance reduce the incidence of clinically significant CMO and shift workload from unscheduled problem-solving to predictable, protocolised care.
In a high-volume refractive lens practice, even a 1–2% CMO rate translates into many extra visits per year.² Driving that rate towards zero is therefore both a clinical quality and business efficiency strategy.
References
- Schmier JK, et al. Treatment costs of cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery. Clin Ophthalmol. 2016;10:1237-1245.
- Chu CJ, Johnston RL, Buscombe C, et al. Risk factors and incidence of macular edema after cataract surgery. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(2):316-323.
Related Topics
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- Epiretinal Membrane and Cataract Surgery: Protecting the Macula
- The PREMED Study: What It Means for Your Eye Drops
- Why We Use Both Steroid and NSAID Drops After Surgery
- Dropless Cataract Surgery vs Traditional Drops: Our View on Macular Safety
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- Our Macular Oedema Prevention Protocol at Blue Fin Vision®
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