Astigmatism and Corneal Thickness in Conventional Large Incision Versus Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery

A Sood, S Kumar, B Badhu, V Kulshrestha Department of Ophthalmology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal

Purpose: To compare the amount of induced astigmatism following manual small incision sutureless cataract surgery and conventional large incision cataract surgery.

Patients and Methods: Thirty patients underwent small incision sutureless cataract surgery and 60 patients underwent conventional large incision cataract surgery, and were alternately assigned to wound closure by continuous or interrupted sutures.

Results: The final induced postoperative astigmatism was significantly different between the groups at 1.46 ± 0.83 D for patients undergoing manual small incision sutureless cataract surgery and 2.68 ± 1.9 D for patients having conventional large incision cataract surgery (p < 0.004).

Conclusion: Manual small incision sutureless cataract surgery is an effective, fast, and economical technique, ensuring satisfactory astigmatism free rehabilitation for patients.

Key Words: Astigmatism, Cataract, Cataract extraction

Asian J Ophthalmology 2002;4(4):2-6.