Experimental Cataract Section. a Preliminary Report.

THE classical cataract section, either by a von Graefe knife or by a keratome and scissors, is essentially a section in which the cornea is sliced (Fig. 1). An enormous number of techniques has been developed which incorporate this slicing section; these usually involve direct suturing either of the cornea after its section, or of the corneo-scleral margin with or without a flap to cover the incision. The two fundamental objects of any cataract section are that an adequate opening is made in the globe for the extraction of the lens and that the section is closed post-operatively so that the normal globular shape of the eyeball is reassumed without aqueous leak or iris prolapse; but in my opinion the classical type of section is unsatisfactory in that, when normal intraocular pressure is built up, the anterior and posterior surfaces of the incision tend to be forced apart so that, were it not for the normal process of healing aided by corneal suturing or a covering flap, the natural course of events would be a constantly leaking wound. With this objection in mind I turned to the development of a corneal section which would jam the section edges together instead of forcing them apart, or which would at least create the maximum amount of friction between the cut edges. The section upon which I have been engaged has been a slanting one, with the slant inclining from the direction of the corneal centre towards the angle of the anterior chamber and in a posterior direction. This is similar to the way in which a watch glass fits into the rim of a watch (Fig. 2).