August 01, 2025
4 min watch
Key takeaways:
- A day 0 exam was a safe substitute for a day 1 exam.
- IOP was higher in a small number of eyes on postop day 1 vs. postop day 0.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A day 0 exam may help ease logistical issues after vitreoretinal surgery, according to a study presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA, FASRS, said a day 1 postoperative exam traditionally has been used in vitreoretinal surgery. However, logistical factors, such as patient or surgeon scheduling conflicts, can present hurdles.
“In these situations, you wonder, ‘Is it OK to see the patient on postop day 0 instead of day 1?’” Weng told Healio. “That’s what we set out to explore in this study.”
Weng and colleagues conducted a prospective study of 90 eyes of 82 patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery. All patients underwent a postoperative day 0 (POD0) exam about 7 hours after surgery and a postoperative day 1 (POD1) exam, tracking IOP, best corrected visual acuity, postoperative complications, pain level and view of the retina.
Weng said there was an increase in IOP between POD0 (13.8 mm Hg) and POD1 (17.5 mm Hg), but this was within the normal range. More eyes had IOP of at least 25 mm Hg on POD1 vs. POD0, but the proportion of eyes with IOP of at least 30 mm Hg was low and comparable between exams, Weng said.
Nine eyes had IOP less than 25 mm Hg on POD0 that increased to 25 mm Hg or higher on POD1, but none of them were higher than 34 mm Hg.
There were no differences in pain levels, view of the retina or complications, and there were cases of endophthalmitis.
“Our findings support overall that a postop day 0 exam is a safe and effective substitute for the traditional postop day 1 exam,” Weng said.
Sources/Disclosures
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Weng C, et al. Postoperative day 0 as a substitute for postoperative day 1 examination following vitreoretinal surgery: A comparative prospective study. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 30-Aug. 2, 2025; Long Beach, California.
Disclosures:
Weng reports no relevant financial disclosures.
