Comparative study between conventional and 4 mm manual small-incision cataract surgery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Innovation
• Cataract Surgery

Background:

• Cataract surgery is a common procedure to restore vision.
• Small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) techniques aim to minimize trauma and improve recovery.
• Manual SICS with a 4-mm incision and MVR blade offers an alternative to conventional methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare intraoperative and postoperative complications between conventional SICS and 4-mm manual SICS.
• To evaluate visual outcomes and surgically induced astigmatism.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of the 4-mm manual SICS technique.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 600 patients with nuclear sclerosis (grades I-IV).
• Patients were divided into two groups: conventional SICS (Group A, n=300) and 4-mm manual SICS (Group B, n=300).
• Surgical techniques, complications, visual outcomes, and astigmatism were recorded and compared.

Main Results:

• The 4-mm manual SICS group (Group B) experienced significantly higher rates of short-term complications like hyphema and striate keratopathy.
• Despite higher complication rates, Group B demonstrated significantly better long-term visual outcomes.
• Group B also showed significantly less surgically induced astigmatism compared to Group A.

Conclusions:

• While 4-mm manual SICS has more intraoperative and short-term postoperative complications, it yields superior final visual outcomes and reduced astigmatism.
• The 4-mm manual SICS technique is a cost-effective alternative to phacoemulsification.
• This method offers a favorable balance of effectiveness and cost in cataract surgery.