Endothelial cell loss following "modern" phacoemulsification by a senior resident

Historically, extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) has been shown to cause less endothelial cell loss than phacoemulsification. To further evaluate endothelial cell loss following phacoemulsification, we prospectively studied 60 patients who underwent cataract extraction with "in situ" phacoemulsification within the capsular bag following a continuous-tear circular capsulotomy, with placement of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) in the capsular bag. All procedures were performed by a single senior ophthalmology resident. The average preoperative endothelial count was 2318 +/- 36 cells/mm2; the average postoperative count (at 8.5 weeks) was 2167 +/- 41 cells/mm2. The average endothelial cell loss, then, was 6.4 +/- 1.2%. This level of cell loss with a capsular-bag-fixed PC-IOL is comparable to that reported for ECCE.