Assessment of Learning Curve in Phacoemulsification Surgery Among the Eastern Province Ophthalmology Program
Mohanna Al-Jindan1, Abdullah Almarshood2, Sanaa A Yassin1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Clinical Ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.)
|February 6, 2020
Summary
Phacoemulsification surgery learning is challenging for residents, with nucleus disassembly being the main hurdle. Complications often occur during capsulorhexis and cortex removal.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Surgical Education
Background:
- Phacoemulsification is a standard cataract surgery technique.
- Resident training in phacoemulsification requires identifying learning obstacles.
Purpose of the Study:
- Assess resident performance in phacoemulsification.
- Identify difficult surgical steps for learning.
- Measure intraoperative complication rates.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study.
- Evaluation of 200 resident-performed phacoemulsification cases.
- Consultant grading of surgical step proficiency and complication recording.
Main Results:
- Hard nucleus, small pupil, and white cataract were key difficulty factors.
- Capsulorhexis, nucleus disassembly, and cortex removal were the most challenging steps.
- Overall complication rate was 17.5%, with posterior capsular rupture most frequent.
Conclusions:
- Nucleus disassembly presents a significant learning curve obstacle for residents.
- Capsulorhexis and cortical removal steps are associated with most complications.
