Retrospective Analysis of Standard Operating Procedures for Intraocular Lens Inventory and Stocking

Aims and objectives To analyze the most frequently used intraocular lens (IOL) powers for data-driven inventory planning and improved surgical readiness in a hospital setting.  Background Cataract surgery requires the use of IOLs with varying powers to meet the diverse refractive needs of patients. As a result, the surgical team must be equipped with a wide range of IOL powers to ensure optimal visual outcomes. However, managing and maintaining such an extensive inventory can often be challenging and may affect the efficiency of surgical operations. This raises an important question: What constitutes an optimal and practical working IOL inventory for an ophthalmic surgical unit? Addressing this issue is essential to streamline surgical workflow while ensuring that patient needs are adequately met. Methods This retrospective descriptive study involved the analysis of data from 1,000 IOLs that were implanted during cataract surgeries. The primary objective was to identify the most frequently used IOL powers by reviewing the distribution and frequency of the implanted lens powers. Results The analysis of IOL powers implanted in 1,000 cataract surgery patients revealed a bell-shaped distribution, indicating a normal pattern of lens power usage. The IOL powers ranged from 15.0 to 31.0 diopters (D), with a mean ± SD value of 21.5 ± 1.98 D. The most frequently implanted lenses were in the 21.00-21.50 D range, accounting for 24.5% (n = 245) of all cases. In contrast, extreme IOL powers, those below 17.00 D (n = 07, 0.7%) and above 26.00 D (n = 8, 0.8%), were rarely used, highlighting their infrequency in the surgical population studied. Conclusion IOL powers within the range of 19.5-23.5 D, with a mean ± SD of 21.5 ± 1.98 D, were the most frequently used. Therefore, maintaining IOLs in this range, specifically 19.5, 20.0, 20.5, 21.0, 21.5, 22.0, 22.5, 23.0, and 23.5 D, would constitute a practical and evidence-based core inventory for any ophthalmic surgical unit.