Clear corneal incisions in bimanual microincision cataract surgery: long-term wound-healing architecture

To evaluate bimanual microincision cataract surgery (MICS) clear corneal incision (CCI) architectural features over the long-term using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

Case series.

Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy.

Patients who had uneventful bimanual MICS in the previous 2 to 16 months were examined using AS-OCT. Images were used to measure corneal thickness, incision length, incision angle, incidence of epithelial or endothelial gaping, misalignment, Descemet membrane detachment, and posterior wound retraction.

Fifty-two eyes (33 patients) were enrolled. Mean incision length and incision angle were, respectively, 1427.91 μm and 31.19 degrees for the right hand, 1440.63 μm and 31.54 degrees for the left hand, 1474.13 μm and 31.27 degrees for temporal incisions, and 1394.41 μm and 31.46 degrees for nasal CCIs. Posterior wound retraction was the only architectural feature found. Its prevalence was 7.10% at 2 to 3 months, 31.8% at 4 to 11 months, and 33.3% at 12 months. Fifty-three percent of posterior wound retractions were in 1.8 mm CCIs and 47% in 1.4 mm CCIs.

Bimanual MICS was not related to particular morphologic features of CCIs. The enlargement of 1 incision or construction of the incision with the dominant or the nondominant hand did not affect long-term wound architecture. Posterior wound retraction was the only architectural feature; however, its prevalence seems substantially lower than with other surgical techniques.