Geetha Periasamy
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study is to compare the effect of phacoemulsification cataract surgery and manual small incision cataract
surgery on the corneal endothelial cell count.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A prospective study was carried out on 100 patients who underwent cataract surgery by manual small incision cataract
surgery (SICS) and phacoemulsification at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital,
Chennai, during the period from August 2005 to August 2006. Surgeries done by a single surgeon was taken for the study.
RESULTS
A total of 100 patients were included in the study out of which 50 underwent phacoemulsification and 50 underwent manual
SICS. In manual SICS, endothelial count loss of between 100-500 cells was higher with an incidence of 44% (22 eyes) and a
count loss of >1500 cells was also found with an incidence of 8% (4 eyes). Endothelial cell loss of <100 was found to be 18%
(9 eyes). In phacoemulsification, endothelial cell count loss of<100 cells only was found to be highest with an incidence of
46% (23 eyes) and a loss of >1500 was not made out in this study.
CONCLUSION
Endothelial cell count loss by this study was found to be less with phacoemulsification surgery than with manual SICS.
Phacoemulsification surgery was found to be superior to manual SICS by ensuring minimal injury to the endothelial cells and
thus provide a good BCVA immediately after the surgery when compared to manual SICS, thus providing a quicker visual
recovery.
