A modified irrigating-aspirating needle.

To facilitate the safe and thorough evacuation of cortical lens debris in extracapsular extractions the author has modified the coaxial irrigating-aspirating cannula. The modified needle has a 45 degrees bend 10 mm from its tip. The tip is rendered slightly bulbous, thus eliminating the step between the outer sleeve and the coaxial portion. This prevents snagging of the posterior capsule and eliminates sleeve slide. The needle has been found especially helpful in deeply recessed eyes, and, when it was rotated, cortical cleaning from the equatorial and superior portions of the capsular bag was easier than with a straight needle. There were no posterior capsular breakages in 54 consecutive cases of the use of this needle.