Inverse horse-shoe technique for the phacoemulsification of posterior polar cataract

Objective: To study a new technique of controlled hydrodelineation followed by viscodelineation and viscodissection during phacoemulsification in eyes with posterior polar cataracts and to report its effectiveness in preserving the posterior capsule.Design: Prospective interventional study.Participants: Twenty-eight eyes of 22 patients with posterior polar cataracts.Methods: All patients underwent phacoemulsification under topical anaesthesia with controlled hydrodelineation, viscodelineation, and viscodissection with minimal stress on the posterior capsule. Hydrodissection was not done. The preoperative complications and visual outcome were recorded.Results: The mean follow-up time was 8 months (range 2-24 months). Posterior capsule rupture occurred only in 2 eyes (7.1%); neither of the 2 had any vitreous prolapse, so anteriorvitrectomy was not required. Mean visual acuity improved significantly after surgery (p = 0.0001, paired t test). The causes of the low postoperative visual acuity were amblyopia in 3 eyes (10.7%) and age-related macular degeneration in 1 (3.6%).Conclusions: This inverse horse-shoe technique of controlled viscodelineation and viscodissection markedly reduced the risk of posterior capsule rupture. Moreover, if it occurred, the anterior vitreous face remained intact, so the IOL could be implanted in the sulcus without resorting to anterior vitrectomy.