Intraoperative complication rate was 0.14 percent, with no sedation adverse events and no cases aborted after sedation initiation
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Office-based cataract surgery with oral sedation is safe and efficient, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held from Oct. 18 to 20 in Orlando, Florida.
Claire L. Redding, from Philadelphia Eye Associates and Wills Eye Hospital, and colleagues examined the safety and efficacy of oral sedation for cataract surgery in an office-based suite in a prospective analysis. Patients received preoperative sedation with diazepam and optional supplementation with MKO Melt.
A total of 729 consecutive cataract surgeries were analyzed. In 28, 62, and 10 percent of cases, respectively, patients received 5 mg diazepam, 10 mg diazepam, and 10 mg diazepam plus MKO Melt. The researchers found there was a mean time of 82 minutes from arrival to discharge. No sedation adverse events occurred, and there were no cases aborted after initiation of sedation. There was one vitreous prolapse, yielding an intraoperative complication rate of 0.14 percent.
“By just my second day in the office-based suite, I felt confident that this setting for cataract surgery was better for most patients in terms of comfort, convenience, and safety,” co-author Brad H. Feldman, M.D., from Philadelphia Eye Associates and Wills Eye Hospital, said in a statement.
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