Lessons from ophthalmology in preventing wrong-site errors in paired-organ surgery

Surgical errors involving paired organs can have severe consequences, particularly in procedures where laterality is a critical factor. Wrong-site surgeries indicate failures in risk management and patient safety protocols, requiring continuous improvements in preventive strategies. In ophthalmology, where precision is essential, the adoption of structured approaches has significantly reduced the incidence of such errors. The Universal Protocol, introduced in 2004 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), has defined standardized procedures to prevent these events and has subsequently been adapted to ophthalmic surgery by specialized scientific societies such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Additionally, multidisciplinary interventions, including AI-assisted verification systems, human factors analysis, and enhanced surgical checklists, continue to strengthen error prevention. This review examines the implementation and development of these strategies in ophthalmic surgery, evaluating their effectiveness and identifying persistent challenges in surgical safety.