To evaluate the efficacy and safety of immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery with respect to patient outcomes and complication rates.

From January 2010 to December 2014, we conducted a retrospective study of patients who had immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) and delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS) with an interval of one to two months between the first and the fellow eye operations. The changes in visual acuity, manifest spherical equivalent, and refractive error of 140 eyes of 70 patients of both groups were compared postoperatively at one month. The incidence of endophthalmitis was investigated during the same period.

At one month postoperatively, log MAR best corrected visual acuity were measured to be 0.06 ± 0.72 in the ISBCS group and 0.09 ± 0.66 in the DSBCS group, and that of the fellow eyes were 0.07 ± 0.64 and 0.07 ± 0.18, respectively ( p = 0.331, p = 0.781, respectively). The postoperative spherical equivalents were -0.18 ± 0.23 D in the ISBCS group and -0.19 ± 0.25 D in the DSCBS group, and that of the fellow eyes were -0.15 ± 0.18 D and -0.16 ± 0.21 D, respectively. There were no significant statistical differences between the two groups ( p = 0.835, p = 0.676, respectively). The postoperative refractive error was -0.20 ± 0.21 D in the ISCBS group and -0.18 ± 0.13 D in the DSBCS group, and that of the fellow eyes were -0.14 ± 0.22 D and -0.19 ± 0.22 D, respectively ( p = 0.482, p = 0.237, respectively). A total of 21,140 eyes had cataract surgery performed, and only 10 eyes (0.05%) developed endophthalmitis. Endophthalmitis did not occur in the ISBCS group.

In experienced hands, with stringent patient selection criteria and with a strict aseptic protocol, ISBCS can safely provide comparable visual outcome and better satisfaction of the patient with good efficacy.