Ophthalmology Surgery Center Supply Checklist

An ophthalmology surgery center is not a general ambulatory surgery center that happens to also do eyes — it is usually a single-specialty facility built around one procedure, cataract extraction with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, run at a case pace most other ASC specialties never approach: a high-volume cataract center can cycle dozens of cases through a single OR in a working day. That throughput is the organizing fact behind this checklist — supplies have to be pre-kitted for same-day, back-to-back turnover, with peri-operative skin/site prep, sterile draping, and post-op eye-shield-adjacent dressing supplies built for speed as much as sterility. This page covers those categories specifically; it assumes the general procedural/anesthesia inventory every ASC needs is covered separately — see CASRAI’s Ambulatory Surgery Center Supply Checklist, which this page deliberately does not duplicate. It’s also a different facility type from a non-surgical eye-care setting; for a vision-testing or glasses-dispensing practice rather than an OR, see the Optometry Clinic Supply Checklist instead.

Where to source this: LAC (lac.us), CASRAI’s sister medical-supply business, stocks several of the categories below directly. Sterile dressing supplies for eye shields, pads, and post-op wound care are in the medical dressings category; skin-prep and injection-port antisepsis wipes are in the alcohol prep pads category; and braided sutures for conjunctival closure, scleral fixation, and lid procedures are in the braided sutures category.

What actually makes an ophthalmic ASC’s supply list different

Three things separate an ophthalmology surgery center’s procurement from a general ASC’s, and each one changes what “enough inventory” means:

Case mix is narrow, not broad. A general ASC stocks toward whatever specialties use the ORs that week — orthopedics one day, GI the next, pain management after that — so its supply program has to flex across very different procedure types. A high-volume cataract center’s case mix is overwhelmingly one procedure (phacoemulsification with IOL implantation), with a smaller volume of adjacent work: YAG capsulotomy, minor lid and lacrimal procedures, occasional glaucoma or combined cases. That narrowness is what makes deep, standardized kitting possible — and what makes a generic ASC checklist a poor fit on its own.
Turnover is measured in minutes, not the case-to-case gaps a mixed-specialty ASC schedules around. Because a routine phaco case is short and the facility is built around repeating it all day, the OR turnover between cases has to be fast enough that supply restocking can’t be the bottleneck. That means kitting by the case (a complete, pre-assembled tray/pack per patient) rather than pulling loose items from a central supply room between every case, and holding enough pre-kitted stock on hand for a full day’s schedule, not just a comfortable par level.
The acuity profile is different from general ASC surgery, but not lower-stakes. Cataract surgery is typically done under topical or local anesthesia with light or no sedation, so the anesthesia-supply burden looks lighter than a general ASC doing procedures under deeper sedation or general anesthesia. That does not mean the safety margin is smaller — intraocular surgery has its own well-documented risk category (wrong-eye or wrong-IOL-power surgery is a recognized sentinel-event pattern in ophthalmology specifically), which is why site-marking and time-out discipline matters as much here as anywhere else in the ASC world. See CASRAI’s Universal Protocol and Surgical Safety Checklist guide for what that time-out actually has to cover.

Peri-operative skin and site prep

Prepping the eye and the surrounding skin for intraocular surgery is not identical to general-surgery skin prep, and the supply list should reflect that distinction rather than defaulting to whatever a general ASC stocks:

Ophthalmic-formulated povidone-iodine solution (typically a 5% ophthalmic preparation, distinct from the higher-concentration surgical-scrub povidone-iodine used on skin elsewhere) instilled into the conjunctival sac before intraocular surgery is the long-established standard antisepsis step for reducing endophthalmitis risk — stock it as its own SKU, not as a substitute for general-purpose prep solution.
Chlorhexidine-based antiseptics are a periocular-skin, not conjunctival, product in this setting. Chlorhexidine gluconate carries a recognized corneal and conjunctival toxicity risk if it contacts the eye itself, so any chlorhexidine product on an ophthalmic ASC’s shelf should be labeled and staged for use on the surrounding skin and lids only, kept physically separate from the ophthalmic povidone-iodine used in the eye, and never treated as an interchangeable general antiseptic. Facilities vary on exactly which periocular skin-prep protocol they run and at what concentration — confirm your center’s own protocol with its ophthalmic surgeon(s) and infection-preventionist rather than assuming a general-surgery default applies.
Alcohol prep pads for injection-port and IV-site antisepsis, and for general surface/tray prep between cases — a high-turnover schedule burns through these faster per case-hour than a lower-volume specialty does, so par levels should be set against daily case count, not a generic weekly estimate.
Sterile eyelid specula, fenestrated ophthalmic drapes, and adhesive drape sealants sized for ocular procedures rather than general-body draping — a standard laparotomy-size fenestrated drape is the wrong tool here and wastes both material and setup time on a schedule where setup time is the constraint that matters most.

Intraoperative disposables and instrument-adjacent supplies

Beyond the phaco/vitrectomy platform itself and its reusable instrument sets (both outside the scope of a consumables checklist), the recurring per-case disposables an ophthalmic ASC burns through include:

Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVD/viscoelastic) — single-use, per-case, and typically the single highest-volume disposable line item on a cataract center’s supply budget given how many cases run through a day.
Single-use phaco tips, cannulas, and irrigation/aspiration tubing sets matched to your specific platform — these are platform-specific, not interchangeable across manufacturers, so procurement has to track against the equipment actually installed, not a generic “phaco supplies” line.
Intraocular lenses (IOLs) across the power range and lens-type mix your surgeons actually implant — inventory management here is its own discipline (expiration dating, power-range coverage, premium-lens consignment arrangements) that a general supply checklist doesn’t need to touch.
Braided sutures for the cases that still need them — conjunctival closure, scleral-fixation IOL techniques, and lid/lacrimal procedures — even though routine clear-corneal phaco is largely a sutureless procedure today. Keep enough on hand for the adjunct and complicated-case volume your center actually sees rather than assuming a sutureless default means none are needed.
Intracameral and topical antibiotic/anti-inflammatory medications used per your facility’s endophthalmitis-prophylaxis protocol — whether that’s an intracameral injection at the end of the case or a topical drop regimen is a clinical-protocol decision made by the surgeons, but procurement needs to track whichever path is in use closely enough to avoid a same-day stockout on a full schedule.

Post-operative, eye-shield-adjacent dressing supplies

The recovery-and-discharge supply category is where an ophthalmic ASC’s needs diverge most visibly from a general ASC’s, and it’s a category worth stocking deliberately rather than folding into a generic “dressings” par level:

Rigid perforated eye shields (the clear plastic shield taped over the operative eye, sometimes called by the genericized “Fox shield” name) sent home with essentially every cataract patient to protect the eye, especially overnight, from accidental contact or pressure.
Sterile eye pads for the immediate post-op dressing before the shield goes on, and for any patient who needs a padded (rather than open) eye at discharge per the surgeon’s preference.
Hypoallergenic paper or foam tape to secure the shield and pad — periocular skin is thin and often geriatric in this patient population, so a gentler adhesive than general-surgery tape reduces skin-tear risk on removal.
Sterile ophthalmic dressing/wound-care supplies generally — gauze, non-adherent pads, and related sterile dressing stock sized and packaged for a small operative field rather than a general-surgery incision.
Take-home patient kits bundling a shield, tape, and often a starter supply of prescribed post-op drops or ointment — many high-volume centers pre-assemble these to avoid discharge-desk delays that would otherwise back up same-day turnover.

PPE and sterile-technique supplies

Ophthalmic ORs run the same core sterile-technique PPE as any surgical suite, but usage-per-case-hour is higher given the case volume, so par levels should be set accordingly:

Sterile surgical gowns rated to the procedure’s fluid-exposure level — see CASRAI’s Isolation and Surgical Gown Selection buying guide for how AAMI PB70 levels map to procedure type.
Bouffant caps or skull caps per your facility’s current head-covering policy — see CASRAI’s Surgical Bouffant Caps and Head Covering Requirements guide for the AORN-vs-skull-cap debate that policy sits inside.
Sterile gloves in the size range your surgical staff actually needs, stocked deep enough that a full-day schedule doesn’t force a mid-day reorder.
Surgical masks and eye protection for staff, sized for a schedule where staff are gowning and re-gowning far more times per day than in a lower-volume specialty.

Accreditation-adjacent expectations, stated generally

Ophthalmic ASCs sit under the same general accreditation and CMS conditions-for-coverage framework as any other ambulatory surgery center — AAAHC and equivalent accrediting bodies expect a documented, adequately stocked supply program with appropriate storage, expiration tracking, and emergency-response provisions regardless of specialty. This guide describes supply categories, not a compliance program; confirm current requirements directly against your accreditor’s own standards and your state’s ASC licensure rules before treating anything here as a compliance checklist in itself.

How this differs from CASRAI’s other specialty-checklist guides

This page is deliberately scoped to what’s specific about an ophthalmology surgery center. For the supply layers it doesn’t duplicate, see:

Ambulatory Surgery Center Supply Checklist — the general ASC baseline (anesthesia, crash-cart, and multi-specialty procedural supplies) that an ophthalmic ASC still needs on top of the categories above.
Optometry Clinic Supply Checklist — for a non-surgical eye-care setting; a genuinely different facility type, not a lighter version of this one.
Cosmetic Surgery Clinic Supply Checklist and Endoscopy Center Supply Checklist — other single-specialty ASC checklists in the same series, useful for comparing how the “narrow case mix, high turnover” pattern plays out in a different specialty.

A category checklist for opening or auditing an ophthalmic ASC’s inventory

Ophthalmic 5% povidone-iodine solution (conjunctival/intraocular use)
Periocular skin antiseptic, per your facility’s protocol (kept separate from the above)
Alcohol prep pads for injection ports and surfaces
Fenestrated ophthalmic drapes and adhesive drape sealant
Sterile eyelid specula
Ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD/viscoelastic), single-use
Platform-matched phaco tips, cannulas, and I/A tubing sets
IOL inventory across your surgeons’ power range and lens-type mix
Braided sutures for conjunctival, scleral-fixation, and lid/lacrimal use
Intracameral or topical antibiotic/anti-inflammatory medications per protocol
Rigid perforated eye shields
Sterile eye pads and non-adherent dressing supplies
Hypoallergenic paper or foam tape
Pre-assembled take-home patient kits
Fluid-rated sterile surgical gowns
Bouffant/skull caps per current head-covering policy
Sterile gloves, sized and stocked to full-day schedule volume

Frequently asked questions

How is an ophthalmology surgery center’s supply list different from a general ASC’s?

It’s narrower and deeper rather than broader. A general ASC’s list has to flex across whatever specialties use its ORs; an ophthalmic ASC’s list is built almost entirely around one procedure (cataract extraction with IOL implantation) done at high daily volume, so it needs less breadth but far more per-case-kitted depth in a small set of categories — OVD, IOLs, ophthalmic-specific prep, and eye-shield-adjacent post-op supplies. It still needs the general ASC’s anesthesia and crash-cart layer on top; see the general ASC checklist for that.

What’s used to prep the eye before cataract surgery?

Ophthalmic-formulated povidone-iodine solution instilled into the conjunctival sac is the long-established standard, alongside a separate periocular skin antiseptic for the surrounding lids and skin. Chlorhexidine should not contact the conjunctiva or cornea directly given its recognized toxicity risk to ocular tissue — confirm your facility’s specific protocol with its surgeons and infection-preventionist rather than assuming a general-surgery default applies.

What post-op supplies go home with a cataract surgery patient?

Typically a rigid perforated eye shield taped in place, often over a sterile eye pad for the first dressing, plus any prescribed post-op drops or ointment. Many high-volume centers pre-assemble these into a single take-home kit to avoid discharge delays.

Does an ophthalmic ASC need the same crash cart and anesthesia supplies as a general ASC?

Yes — accreditors and CMS conditions for coverage don’t carve out a lighter emergency-response standard for lower-acuity anesthesia. Cataract surgery’s typical topical/local, minimal-sedation anesthesia profile means day-to-day supply burn in that category is lighter than a general ASC doing deeper sedation cases, but the facility still needs a fully stocked, code-ready crash cart and airway equipment regardless of how rarely it’s used.

Are braided sutures still needed if most cataract surgery is sutureless?

Yes, in smaller volume. Routine clear-corneal phacoemulsification is largely a sutureless procedure, but conjunctival closure, scleral-fixation IOL techniques, and adjunct lid or lacrimal procedures still call for braided sutures — stock against your actual adjunct-case volume rather than assuming a sutureless default means none are needed.