Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery: Experience at a Military Hospital

BackgroundSmall incision cataract surgery came into practice with the advent of phacoemulsification. However, manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS) is a useful alternative for those who do not have access to phacoemulsification machine.MethodA total of 69 cases of cataract were undertaken for manual incision cataract surgery and intra ocular lens (IOL) implantation using 6mm straight incision. The surgical technique and postoperative results are compared with the results of phacoemulsification and IOL implantation.ResultAverage postoperative astigmatism was ± 0.75 dioptres. Postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of 6/18 or better was observed in 51(71.9%) cases after first week of the surgery.ConclusionThe study concludes that both phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation are effective methods. However SICS with IOL implantation is a useful alternative in the absence of phacoemulsification machine.