Routine lab testing not required with modern cataract surgery

It has been standard practice for many, many years to do preoperative testing and this was so even for patients undergoing cataract surgery. The line of thinking was that cataract patients are usually elderly and many have chronic health problems so it was best to take the extra precaution. However, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (AAO) guidelines state that there is no need to do routine tests prior to cataract surgery these days. Cataract surgery today only takes 10 to 15 minutes for one eye and usually uses local anesthesia. While these guidelines were established back in 2002, a new study reveals that more than half of Medicare patients who had cataract surgery in 2011 had at least one preoperative test. Researchers stress that the AAO guidelines are just recommendations and that it doesn't mean that no one should have any preoperative testing done. If you have a particular medical condition, then your doctor may request testing.*