Virtual follow-up after cataract surgery: systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cataract surgery is a common procedure with standard in-person postoperative follow-up.
• The efficacy and safety of virtual follow-up care as an alternative to in-person visits remain uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between virtual postoperative follow-up and patient outcomes after cataract surgery.
• To determine if virtual follow-up is a safe alternative to in-person reviews.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases was conducted up to October 2023.
• Included studies involved virtual follow-up (telephone or video) for cataract surgery patients and reported outcomes.
• Risk of bias was assessed, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize findings.

Main Results:

• Seven studies involving 1994 patients and 2113 surgeries were included.
• No significant differences in complication rates or visual acuity were found between virtual and in-person follow-up groups.
• Patients generally preferred virtual follow-up for convenience, and no serious adverse outcomes were reported.

Conclusions:

• Virtual follow-up appears to be a safe and patient-preferred alternative for uneventful cataract surgery.
• Preliminary findings suggest benefits like reduced recovery time and anxiety in some cases.
• Further research is necessary due to the limited literature base.