Razor blade section in cataract surgery.

There are many techniques of cataract extraction and many types of cataract knives have been devised to facilitate an ideal section. Ultrasharp diamond knives were introduced by Durham and Luntz (I968). Sharpness is essential whether the von Graefe knife, the keratome, or corneal scissors are used, and for this reason disposable cataract knives, keratomes, and Bard Parker blades are widely used. This article describes the use of an ordinary razor blade (preferably non-stainless); this is not only very sharp and easy to sterilize, but is cheap enough to be disposable, and readily available throughout the world. Two separate sections can be cut with each half of the blade.