Trends in microincision cataract surgery

  Cataract surgery has been invented for more than 60 years, and the surgical incision has also undergone a gradual transition from a dozen millimeters to a few millimeters to the current minimum incision of 1.8 millimeters. The gradual reduction of the surgical incision is actually the result of the unremitting efforts of several generations, and cataract patients living in contemporary society have indeed caught up with a good era.  At present, the industry recognized micro-incision should be less than or equal to 2 mm in width, so what are the advantages of micro-incision cataract surgery?  Firstly, micro-incision obviously reduces post-operative astigmatism. Some experts have shown that one day, one week, one month and three months after micro-incision surgery, corneal astigmatism is significantly lower than general incision, and patients’ visual quality improves significantly.  Secondly, the damage to the intraocular tissues of microincision surgery is relatively reduced, the inflammation after the surgery is significantly reduced, and the patient’s comfort is better than that of patients after general incision surgery. From a professional point of view it is the patient’s contrast sensitivity and the depth of field of vision that is clearly superior.  Once again, because of the small incision, the risk of postoperative infection is significantly reduced, and the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms entering the eye through the micro-incision is greatly reduced, which means that the safety of the surgery is significantly improved.  Of course, micro-incision surgery also brings challenges for cataract surgeons because it is indeed more difficult to operate with micro-incisions, but with a good understanding, one should be able to master it.  Through the postoperative observation of nearly 1000 patients with microincision cataract surgery performed in our hospital, the postoperative comfort and satisfaction of patients have increased significantly.