Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed operation globally, with over 30,000 performed per annum in New Zealand. The surgery has transformed into a refractive procedure in recent years, with patients often expecting the surgery to minimise their dependence on glasses. However, residual refractive error following surgery is still relatively common. In 2015, postoperative visual and refractive outcomes in New Zealand were found to be comparable to international standards¹, which aims to have 85% of patients achieve a spherical equivalent (SE) within 1 dioptre (D) and 55% of patients within 0.5D of the intended target². This translates into more than 4,500 patients a year with a residual refractive error of >1D following surgery every year.
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