AAO 2026: Planning cataract surgery in patients with uveitis

Controlling inflammation for at least 3 months before surgery is the foundation of successful cataract surgery in patients with uveitis, according to Anjum F. Koreishi, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology and uveitis specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. At the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, Koreishi spoke with Ophthalmology Times about his instruction course, “Cataract Surgery and Uveitis: Success on Day 1 and Year 1 by Controlling Inflammation and Distorted Anatomy.” The course aims to help ophthalmologists, especially those without easy access to uveitis specialists, feel more comfortable managing these patients before, during, and after surgery.

How should surgeons prepare for cataract surgery in patients with uveitis?

Inflammation should be controlled with systemic immunomodulation or local corticosteroid therapy for at least 3 months before surgery, Koreishi said. He noted that this timeline has been clearly associated with better outcomes and fewer complications. In the operating room, he emphasized planning ahead and going slowly. Surgeons should have instruments such as iris hooks, capsule hooks, and capsular tension rings available and be ready to use them. Steps such as capsulorrhexis can be more challenging, and needing extra steps should not be seen as a failure. “Thinking ahead of what you need to do in the cases is the best way to avoid complications,” he said.

How does active treatment affect surgical planning?

Most patients with chronic uveitis are on long-term treatment before surgery, and even patients without chronic disease will need a burst of corticosteroids around the time of surgery. Koreishi stressed the importance of explaining to patients that preoperative and postoperative corticosteroids will be necessary. Patients should also know the process involves more steps and visits than routine cataract surgery. “The technical parts of surgery are not the most difficult part,” he said. “The medical management and paying attention to the issues is the most difficult part.”

For more from the meeting, visit Ophthalmology Times’ AAO 2026 coverage.