Chick feed technique versus standard chop technique in micro incision cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND The important factor for improving the cataract surgery is reduction in size of corneal incision. Small incision results in less induced astigmatism, and faster visual rehabilitation. METHODS An analysis of 100 eyes of 80 patients operated for phacoemulsification through micro incision by standard chop technique (50 eyes) in group-I, and chick feed technique (50 eyes) in group-II is presented. All of the patients were operated on by posterior limbal corneal incision under topical or sub-tenon anesthesia. In all patients, posterior chamber bag fixation foldable intraocular lens implantation was performed through 1.4 to 1.6 mm corneal incision. RESULTS Forty patients (80%) out of fifty operated in group-2 had an over all visual recovery of 6/12 to 6/9 on day one post operative, as compared to group-1 where only ten (20%) patients out of fifty had visual recovery of 6/12 to 6/9. In the second week, out of 37 patients operated in group-2, thirty patients (81%) had visual acuity 6/6. Similarly in second week post operative, out of forty three patients operated in group-1, only eighteen patients (41.8%) had V/A of 6/6. Maximum visual recovery was observed in early post operative phase in group-2 patients. CONCLUSION The chick feed technique has been proved to be the most compromising method in micro incision cataract surgery, as compared to standard chop method, due to its capability of working on low energy and negligible vacuum.