First Postoperative Day Visual Outcome Following 6 mm Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery Using Intratunnel Phacofracture Technique
Object:To study first postoperative day visual outcome following 6 mm manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) using intratunnel phacofracture technique.Design:Retrospective design.Setting:Tertiary eye care centre.Participants:A total of 216 patients who underwent MSICS performed by a single surgeon at the JW Global Hospital & Research Centre, Mount Abu, India from April 2012 to March 2013. Cataract patients with any other ocular comorbidity were not included. One hundred and thirty-six cataract patients (72 male/64 female) with a mean age of 59.75 years (range 40–80 years) were included in the study. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon using the 6 mm MSICS intratunnel phacofracture technique.Outcome measures:The first postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and rates and types of complications were recorded.Results:A total of 136 surgeries were performed using the 6 mm MSICS intratunnel phacofracture technique. All the surgeries were performed by a single experienced surgeon. The mean UCVA and mean BCVA at first postoperative day were 0.367 (Snellen equivalent 20/46) and 0.226 (Snellen equivalent 20/33) log MAR units, respectively. No serious peri- and postoperative complications were encountered.Conclusions:The 6 mm MSICS is a safe, fast, and low-cost cataract extraction technique. It is an effective alternate to costly phacoemulsification.