Clinical Guidance
Ophthalmic Safety Alert – Diabetic control and safe cataract surgery
The College has received queries from members to clarify whether there is a specific cut off for glycaemic control, either measured via HbA1C or a blood glucose level on the day, beyond which it is unsafe to proceed with cataract surgery. There is anecdotal evidence of cataract surgery cases being cancelled for surgery if their
Ophthalmic Safety Alert – intracameral cefuroxime
There are a range of cefuroxime preparations currently in use for the prevention of endophthalmitis in intraocular surgery. There are two licensed versions, Aprokam (Thea Pharmaceuticals) and Ximaract (from Bausch & Lomb), both available as a 50mg powder and diluent solution for injection. Also used are unlicensed prefilled syringes, of which some are compliant with
Ophthalmic Safety Alert – detachment of cannulas during ophthalmic surgery
The NHS Improvement national patient safety team have informed the College of the continued trend of incidents involving issues with detachment of cannulas during ophthalmic surgery (cannula-associated ocular injury, COI). The cannula is usually attached to either a saline or a viscoelastic syringe. The combination of a small lumen and plunger pressure can result in
Correct IOL implantation in cataract surgery – quality standard
The insertion of wrong intraocular lenses (IOLs) in cataract surgery is the commonest cause of surgical never events in recent years. The College has been working with NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSI) to try to improve the situation, providing amendments to the new Never Event List and Frameworks and supporting the Healthcare Safety Investigation
RCOphth guideline: Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine Retinopathy: NEW screening recommendations February 2018
The new guideline on screening for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine retinopathy is written in response to evidence from the United States that shows that hydroxychloroquine retinopathy is more common than previously recognised. Implementation of the guideline’s recommendations will prevent iatrogenic visual loss. The new guideline also makes recommendations regarding the techniques and timing of baseline and