[Comparison of complications after intra- and extracapsular cataract extraction with lens implantation. Results of a prospective, randomized, clinical study]. Comparing phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction in eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, small pupil, and phacodonesis. The South Asian cataract management study: complications, vision outcomes, and corneal endothelial cell loss in a randomized multicenter clinical trial comparing intracapsular cataract extraction with and without anterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. Comparison of endothelial cell loss and surgically induced astigmatism following conventional extracapsular cataract surgery, manual small-incision surgery and phacoemulsification. Postoperative inflammation: extracapsular cataract extraction versus phacoemulsification. Cost analysis of cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation: a single blind randomised clinical trial comparing extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification. Randomised controlled trial of anterior-chamber intraocular lenses. Extracapsular cataract surgery compared with manual small incision cataract surgery in community eye care setting in western India: a randomised controlled trial. The Madurai Intraocular Lens Study. II: Clinical outcomes. Cataract surgery: interim results and complications of a randomised controlled trial. Oxford Cataract Treatment and Evaluation Team (OCTET). A comparison of anterior and posterior chamber lenses after cataract extraction in rural Africa: a within patient randomised trial. Effect of cataract surgery on the corneal endothelium: modern phacoemulsification compared with extracapsular cataract surgery. Safety and efficacy of phacoemulsification compared with manual small-incision cataract surgery by a randomized controlled clinical trial: six-week results. Randomized study of the blood-aqueous barrier reaction after phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction. Ultrasound biomicroscopy examination of intraocular lens haptic position after phacoemulsification with continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis and extracapsular cataract extraction with linear capsulotomy. Corneal endothelial function after extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification. Phacoemulsification versus extracapsular cataract extraction in patients with diabetes.
The postoperative complications of ICCE with ACL implantation are compared with those of ECCE and PCL. Our clinical experience with ICCE and ACL implantation can not confirm the widespread rejection of this method.
                A prospective, randomized, clinical study with participation of medical statisticians was performed. A total of 190 patients with ICCE and ACL and 170 patients with ECCE and PCL were followed up for 2 years. The follow-up examinations were performed upon dismission from the hospital, after 6, 12 and 24 months. The data were compiled in a computer program designed for this study and evaluated by the statisticians. The surgical procedures and the surgeons were defined prior to the beginning of patient recruitment.
                ICCE with ACL shows much less postoperative complications as usually emphasized. There were only 2 (1.2%) of retinal detachment and no case of corneal decompensation. Cystoid macular edema 8 (4.7%), postoperative vitreous prolaps into the anterior chamber 4 (2.3%) and spontaneous complaints of pain 16 (9.4%) occurred in a low percentage after ICCE with ACL. These complications did not occur after ECCE with PCL. The patients with ECCE and PCL showed capsular fibrosis in 48 (28%) making it the most frequent complication of the whole study. 33% of these patients required YAG-laser capsulotomy. Since retinal detachment occurs in 2.5% after YAG-laser capsulotomy we can not regard capsular fibrosis as a totally harmless complication. It is noteworthy that visual acuity is almost identical 1 year after surgery in both methods.
                The results of this study show that the evaluation of ICCE with ACL is too negative. The elimination of postoperative complications in this method is more difficult. ECCE with PCL is burdened by frequent capsular fibrosis. Visual acuity is almost the same in both methods 1 years after the operation. ACL-implantation remains our method of choice for secondary implantation in patients with an intact iris diaphragm. This study aims to compare the frequency of intraoperative and postoperative complications between the modern phacoemulsification technique and the extracapsular cataract extraction technique in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.
                A prospective randomized study comprised 94 eyes with cataract, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, small pupil and slight to moderate phacodonesis. These eyes were randomly assigned into two groups. In the first group all patients (47 eyes) were operated on using a standard phacoemulsification technique (iris hooks, anterior capsule staining and capsular tension ring after capsulorhexis), while in the second group all patients (47 eyes) underwent a classic extracapsular cataract extraction. The main outcome measures were the frequency of intraoperative zonular tears, capsular rupture, vitreous loss and corneal edema, as well as the best-corrected visual acuity.
                Intraoperative zonular separation was recorded in one eye (2.1 %) and in 15 eyes (31.9 %) for the first and second groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Posterior capsule rupture with or without zonular separation occurred in two eyes (4.2 %) of the first group and in eight eyes (17.0 %) of the second group (P < 0.05). Vitreous loss also had a higher rate in the second group (17.0 % versus 4.2 %, P < 0.05). The postoperative difference in best-corrected visual acuity was also significant between the two groups, being higher in patients operated on using phacoemulsification technique (P < 0.001).
                In the difficult cases of cataract associated with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, small pupil and phacodonesis, the modern small-incision cataract surgery provides better results with a low rate of intraoperative and postoperative complications when compared with the extracapsular cataract extraction technique. To determine clinical outcomes of primary intracapsular cataract surgery with and without implantation of anterior chamber lenses.
                A multicenter randomized clinical trial.
                One thousand two hundred twenty-nine male and female patients 40-75 years of age with senile cataract.
                Study patients were recruited from screening eye camps and outpatient clinics. Randomization to the two treatment groups was performed after screening for predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographics, visual acuity, intraocular pressures, and corneal endothelial cell data were recorded before surgery and at 6 weeks, 12 months, and 24 months after surgery. Monitoring of the study was secured by a standardized image documentation procedure on all patients using the IMAGEnet digital imaging system. Analysis of corneal endothelial cell images was performed with the Cell Soft software (Topcon Corporation, Japan).
                Visual acuity and central corneal endothelial cell loss.
                The patients were randomized to intraocular lens (IOL; n = 616) and no IOL (n = 613) implantation. Surgical complications were reported in 177 (14.4%) patients (IOL = 14.8%; no IOL = 14.0%). The most frequent complication observed was vitreous loss which occurred in 10.3% of eyes (IOL = 11.2%; no IOL = 9.5%). At the final examination (2 years after surgery), 88% of the operated eyes had a best corrected vision of 6/18 or better (IOL = 88.8%; no IOL = 86.6%). Analysis of corneal endothelial cell data showed a small but significantly greater cell loss 6 weeks after surgery in eyes with IOL compared with those without IOL, but no overall difference was found between the treatment groups in the long term follow-up.
                The findings indicate that there is a rationale for the use of anterior chamber intraocular lenses in primary intracapsular cataract surgery. To compare the surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) and endothelial cell loss following conventional extracapsular cataract surgery (ECCE), manual small-incision cataract surgery (Blumenthal technique)(SICS) and phacoemulsification (PE) with non-foldable intraocular lens implantation.
                186 cataractous eyes with nuclear sclerosis grade 3 or less were randomized to undergo ECCE, SICS or PE with intraocular lens (non-foldable) implantation after a detailed pre-operative assessment. Keratometry and specular microscopy were performed pre-operatively and 6 weeks postoperatively. Surgically induced astigmatism was calculated using the rectangular coordinate method (Holladay et al.).
                Mean endothelial cell loss was similar for all three groups (p = 0.855); ECCE induced a loss of 4.72% (SD: 13.07); SICS 4.21% (SD: 10.29) and PE 5.41% (SD: 10.99). Mean SIA was 1.77D (1.61D) for the ECCE group, 1.17D (0.95D) for the SICS group and 0.77D (0.65D) for the PE group (p = 0.001). The magnitude of the difference between the SICS and the PE group was 0.4D.
                PE induced less astigmatism than SICS and ECCE in this study but the magnitude of the difference between SICS and PE was small. There was no significant difference in endothelial cell loss between the three groups. To quantitatively compare postoperative inflammation after extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with that after phacoemulsification in an Asian population.
                Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore.
                In this prospective, randomized, double-masked clinical trial, patients having cataract surgery were randomized to receive ECCE (n = 16) or phacoemulsification (n = 18). Diabetics were excluded. Two surgeons performed both types of surgery and implanted a 6.0 mm optic intraocular lens. Inflammation was assessed qualitatively by slitlamp grading of cells and flare and quantitatively using the Kowa flare meter. One independent postoperative investigator performed the slitlamp examination and laser flare meter readings.
                The ECCE and phacoemulsification groups were comparable (P > .05) in age, sex, ethnicity, and preoperative flare levels. The combined slitlamp inflammatory scores (anterior chamber cells and flare) and mean laser flare meter readings showed the ECCE group had significantly higher mean flare measurements than the phacoemulsification group at days 4 (P = .0012), 8 (P = .0013), 15 (P = .0013), 30 (P = .0004), and 60 (P = .0164). Flare levels in the ECCE group returned to preoperative values by the second month; the phacoemulsification group achieved preoperative levels by 1 month. The clinical inflammatory assessment score correlated closely to the flare level readings.
                Phacoemulsification induced less inflammation than ECCE, with the difference most marked in the first month after surgery. A randomised single blinded clinical trial to compare the cost of cataract surgery between extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification (PEA) was conducted at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) between March and December 2000. A total of 60 patients were included in this study. The cost of a cataract surgery incurred by hospital, patients and households up to two months after discharge were included. The costs of training, loss of patients' income after discharge and intangible costs were excluded. Results showed that the average cost for one ECCE operation is RM1,664.46 (RM1,233.04-RM2,377.64) and for PEA is RM1,978.00 (RM1,557.87-RM3,334.50). During this short period of follow up, it can be concluded that ECCE is significantly cheaper than PEA by an average difference of RM 313.54 per patient (p < 0.001). Cost of equipment and low frequency of PEA technique done in HUKM were the two main reasons for the high unit cost of PEA as compared to ECCE. There are an estimated 16 million people blind in both eyes with cataracts. Most live in rural areas of developing countries where surgical resources are scarce. There is no consensus on the most appropriate type of intraocular lens in situations where high-volume low-cost surgery is required. This study was undertaken to evaluate the safety of multiflex open-loop anterior-chamber lenses (ACIOLs).
                2000 people attending Lahan Eye Hospital, southern Nepal, with bilateral cataracts reducing vision to 6/36 or less were randomly allocated to receive standard surgery--intracapsular extraction (ICCE) with aphakic correction--or ICCE with an ACIOL in their first operated eye. The primary outcome was a visual acuity of less than 6/60 in the operated eye at 1 year follow-up. Visual acuity was measured for 91% of the cohort at 1 year. The sample size was estimated to detect a doubling in poor visual outcome from an estimated rate of 4% in the standard surgery (control) group.
                The median (range) time taken to do the surgery was 6.0 (3.0-17.2) min for the ACIOL group and 4.1 (2.4-10.3) min for the control group. 1 year after surgery, 5.0% of the ACIOL group and 5.4% of controls had functional vision less than 6/60 (OR 0.93 [0.60-1.43], p = 0.71). The causes of poor vision in the ACIOL and control groups were: correctable refractive error (22 and 29), uveitis/secondary glaucoma (13 and two), endophthalmitis (four and seven), pre-existing eye disease (four and five), retinal detachment (none and four), cystoid macular oedema (two and none), corneal ulcer (one and one), and corneal decompensation (none and one).
                This study provides evidence that, in rural areas of developing countries, multiflex open-loop ACIOLs can be implanted safely by experienced ophthalmologists after routine ICCE, avoiding the disadvantages of aphakic spectacle correction. Further follow-up is planned. To study "manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS)" for the rehabilitation of cataract visually impaired and blind patients in community based, high volume, eye hospital setting; to compare the safety and effectiveness of MSICS with conventional extracapsular cataract surgery (ECCE).
                In a single masked randomised controlled clinical trial, 741 patients, aged 40-90 years, with operable cataract were randomly assigned to receive either MSICS or ECCE and operated upon by one of eight participating surgeons. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were graded and scored according to the Oxford Cataract Treatment and Evaluation Team recommendations. The patients were followed up at 1 week, 6 weeks, and 1 year after surgery and their visual acuity recorded.
                This paper reports outcomes at 1 and 6 weeks. 706 of the 741(95.3%) patients completed the 6 week follow up. 135 of 362 (37.3%) of ECCE group and 165 of 344 (47.9%) of MSICS group had uncorrected visual acuity of 6/18 or better after 6 weeks of follow up. 314 of 362 (86.7%) of ECCE group and 309 of 344 (89.8%) of MSICS group had corrected postoperative vision of 6/18 or better. Four of 362 (1.1%) of ECCE group and six of 344 (1.7%) of MSICS group had corrected postoperative visual acuity less than 6/60. There were no significant differences between the two groups for intraoperative and severe postoperative complications.
                MSICS and ECCE are both safe and effective techniques for treatment of cataract patients in community eye care settings. MSICS needs similar equipment to ECCE, but gives better uncorrected vision. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens (ECCE/PC-IOL) compared with intracapsular cataract extraction with aphakic glasses (ICCE-AG).
                In a nonmasked randomized controlled clinical trial, 3,400 bilaterally vision-impaired patients aged 40 to 75 years with operable cataract were randomly assigned to receive either ICCE-AG or ECCE/PC-IOL at the Aravind Eye Hospital in India. The surgery was performed by one of four study surgeons. Patients were hospitalized for 5 postoperative days, with follow-up visits at 2, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Postsurgery evaluations were conducted by two independent study ophthalmologists.
                At any single postoperative follow-up time point, there were no statistically significant differences of clinical relevance between treatment groups for any complication of a serious nature except cystoid macular edema, which was more common with ICCE (4.2% vs 1.6%). In general, whether of a trivial, intermediate, or serious nature, complication rates were low at each evaluation time point. Cumulatively, the incidence of serious complications of all types throughout the 1-year study period was 14.5% for patients in the ICCE-AG group and 7.7% in the ECCE group (P < .001). Best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better at 12 months was attained by 90.7% of ICCE-AG patients and 96.3% of ECCE/PC-IOL patients (P < .001).
                Although both operative procedures are safe and effective for cataract patients with bilateral impairment, ECCE/PC-IOL is superior to ICCE-AG in terms of both visual acuity restoration and safety. A randomised controlled trial in progress for more than five years, with no loss to follow-up (except death), assessed 333 eyes treated by three methods of cataract surgery. They were (A) intracapsular extraction and contact lens usage, (B) intracapsular extraction and implantation of an iris supported lens (Federov I), and (C) extracapsular extraction and implantation of an iridocapsular lens (Binkhorst 2-loop). The purpose of the paper is to report interim visual results, complications, and corneal endothelial cell loss. More eyes in groups A (contact lens) and C (extracapsular + implant) achieved better visual acuity than in group B (intracapsular + Federov lens), which also had more postoperative complications. Both implant groups lost more endothelial cells than the non-implant group, which did not differ significantly from group B before one year. Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL) is the preferred method of cataract surgery in developed countries. However, intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) with an anterior chamber lens (AC IOL) may be appropriate in rural Africa. A randomised controlled trial was carried out to compare these surgical strategies.
                Participants over 50 years requiring bilateral cataract surgery were recruited from outreach clinics in rural north and east Uganda. One eye was randomly allocated to AC IOL or PC IOL, the other eye being allocated to the second strategy. The main outcome measure was WHO distance visual acuity (VA) category after a minimum of 1 year. Secondary outcomes were numbers and causes of complications and refractive corrections.
                Of the 110 participants recruited, 98 (89%) were assessed at least 1 year after the operation (median follow up 17.5 months). Nine eyes randomised to PC IOL were converted to AC IOL; one eye randomised to AC IOL inadvertently received PC IOL. There was no difference in VA between 95 pairs of eyes for which data for both eyes were available (uncorrected VA, p = 0.26; corrected VA, p = 0.59). 80 (82%, 95% CI 73 to 89) and 82 (84%, 95% CI 75 to 90) eyes randomised to AC IOL and PC IOL respectively had corrected VA of 6/18 or better. 16 (16%, 95% CI 10 to 25) and eight (8%, 95% CI 4 to 15) eyes respectively had secondary procedures or other complications.
                Where both strategies are available, ECCE with PC IOL should be first choice because of fewer complications. Where ECCE with PC IOL is not immediately feasible, ICCE with AC IOL is an acceptable interim technique. To investigate whether modern phacoemulsification surgery results in more damage to the corneal endothelium than extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), and to examine which preoperative, operative, and postoperative factors influence the effect of cataract surgery on the endothelium.
                Randomized controlled trial.
                Five hundred patients 40 years or older were randomized into 2 groups (ECCE, 249; phacoemulsification, 251).
                Central corneal endothelial cell counts, coefficient of variation of cell size, and hexagonality were assessed before surgery and up to 1 year postoperatively.
                Endothelial cell count.
                Four hundred thirty-three patients completed the trial. The initial preoperative mean cell count for the entire sample was 2481 (standard error [SE]: 18.6), reduced at 1 year postoperatively to 2239 (SE: 23.5). An average 10% reduction in cell count was recorded by 1 year postoperatively. There was no such change in hexagonality or in the coefficient of variation. There was no significant difference in overall percentage cell loss between the 2 treatment groups. Factors associated with excessive cell loss (> or =15% by 1 year) were a hard cataract (odds ratio [OR]: 2.1, 95% confidence limits: 1.1-4.1; P = 0.036), age (OR: 1.04, P = 0.005), and capsule or vitreous loss at surgery (OR: 2.38, P = 0.106). Phacoemulsification carried a significantly higher risk (OR: 3.7, P = 0.045) of severe cell loss in the 45 patients with hard cataracts relative to ECCE (52.6% vs. 23.1%; chi-square test, P = 0.041), with both procedures achieving similar postoperative visual acuity outcomes.
                No significant difference in overall corneal endothelial cell loss was found between these 2 operative techniques. The increased risk of severe cell loss with phacoemulsification in patients with hard cataracts suggests that phacoemulsification may not be the optimal procedure in these cases, and that ECCE should be preferred. To compare the efficacy, safety, and refractive errors of astigmatism after cataract surgery by phacoemulsification and manual small-incision cataract surgery techniques.
                Masked randomized control clinical trial.
                Four hundred eyes of 400 patients, 1:1 randomization with half in each arm of the trial.
                A total of 400 eyes was assigned randomly to either phacoemulsification or small-incision groups after informed consent and were operated on by 4 surgeons. They were masked to the technique of surgery before, during, and after cataract surgery and followed up to 1 year after surgery. The intraoperative and postoperative complications, uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity, and astigmatism were recorded at 1 and 6 weeks postoperatively.
                The proportion of patients achieving visual acuity better than or equal to 6/18 with and without spectacles after cataract surgery in the operated eye up to 6 weeks, postoperative astigmatism, and complications during and after surgery.
                This article reports clinical outcomes up to 6 weeks. Three hundred eighty-three of 400 (95.75%) patients completed the 1-week follow-up, and 372 of 400 (93%) patients completed the 6-week follow-up. One hundred thirty-one of 192 (68.2%) patients in the phacoemulsification group and 117 of 191 (61.25%) patients in the small-incision group had uncorrected visual acuity better than or equal to 6/18 at 1 week (P = 0.153). One hundred fifty of 185 (81.08%) patients of the phacoemulsification group and 133 of 187 (71.1%) patients of the small-incision group (P = 0.038) were better than or equal to 6/18 at the 6-week follow-up for presenting visual activity. Visual acuity improved to > or = 6/18 with best correction in 182 of 185 patients (98.4%) and 184 of 187 (98.4%) patients (P = 0.549), respectively. Poor outcome (postoperative visual acuity < 6/60) was noted in 1 of 185 (0.5%) in the phacoemulsification group and none in the small-incision group. The mode of astigmatism was 0.5 diopters (D) for the phacoemulsification group and 1.5 D for the small-incision group, and the average astigmatism was 1.1 D and 1.2 D, respectively. There was an intra-surgeon variation in astigmatism. The phacoemulsification group had 7 posterior capsular rents compared with 12 in the small-incision group, but the phacoemulsification group had more corneal edema on the first postoperative day.
                Both the phacoemulsification and the small-incision techniques are safe and effective for visual rehabilitation of cataract patients, although phacoemulsification gives better uncorrected visual acuity in a larger proportion of patients at 6 weeks. To compare the blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) breakdown after endocapsular phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE).
                Forty-two patients (64-82 years) enrolled for cataract surgery were randomly assigned to phacoemulsification (group I) or ECCE (group II). Patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, small pupils, glaucoma, uveitis, dark brown irides, diabetes, treatment with eye drops or anti-inflammatory drugs were excluded. In group I the patients were operated with continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC), phacoemulsification and implantation of a poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) intraocular lens (IOL) through a 5.2 mm self-sealing incision. In group II linear capsulotomy, nucleus expression and PMMA IOL implantation through a large incision (10-11 mm) were performed. The incision was sutured. Before surgery and three days and three months after surgery postoperative inflammation and BAB reaction were measured by laser flare photometry and anterior chamber fluorophotometry after intravenous administration of fluorescein. The BAB diffusion coefficient was calculated. Laser flare photometry was performed also after one and two years.
                According to fluorophotometry, ECCE induced significantly more postoperative BAB breakdown than did phacoemulsification at three days (p=0.00016) and three months (p=0.00829). Laser flare photometry showed more inflammation in the ECCE group than in the phacoemulsification group at three days postoperatively (p=0.00005).
                This study suggests that cataract surgery performed with a small, self-sealing incision, CCC and phacoemulsification induces a reduced surgical trauma with less BAB breakdown compared to ECCE using a large sutured incision, linear capsulotomy and nucleus expression. Intraocular lens (IOL) haptic position in 35 eyes that had undergone cataract surgery was examined with ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM).
                In a prospective randomized study the patients were operated by phacoemulsification using continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) (group I) or by extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) using linear capsulotomy (group II). Ultrasound biomicroscopy was used to localize both haptics of the implanted intraocular lenses and to measure anterior chamber depth (ACD), iris thickness and anterior chamber angle. The inflammatory reaction in the anterior chamber was assessed with laser flare photometry. Slit lamp examination was performed.
                Both IOL haptics were found in the lens capsule in all 18 eyes in group I. In group II one of the haptics was located out of the capsule in 7 of 17 eyes (41%). The difference is statistically significant (p=0.01). Postoperatively mean ACD measured with the UBM was 4.06+/-0.30 mm in group I and 3.64+/-0.24 mm in group II (p=0.00025).
                The UBM examinations indicate that phacoemulsification with continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis is a more reliable technique than ECCE with linear capsulotomy to achieve implantation of the intraocular lens haptics in the capsular bag. To compare the morphology and function of the corneal endothelium in the early postoperative period after extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification.
                University Eye Clinic of Trieste, Italy.
                In this prospective, randomized study of patients scheduled for cataract surgery, 40 patients were divided into two groups of 20 patients each. Group 1 had ECCE and Group 2, phacoemulsification; both had capsular bag intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Preoperatively and 7 and 30 days postoperatively, a complete ophthalmological examination, endothelial specular microscopy, ultrasonic pachymetry, and anterior segment fluorophotometry were done. Visual acuity, endothelial cell density, cell size variation coefficient, corneal thickness, endothelial permeability coefficient, and endothelial pump function were studied.
                Visual acuity was better 7 days after phacoemulsification than after ECCE, but no differences were observed after 30 days. No significant differences in postoperative loss of endothelial cells were found between the two groups. Coefficient of variation in size, corneal thickness, and endothelial permeability significantly increased in both groups 7 days postoperatively, but only in the ECCE group 30 days postoperatively; the differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Endothelial pump function significantly increased after 7 days in only the phacoemulsification group.
                Functional endothelial failure occurred in the early period after ECCE. Phacoemulsification seemed to minimize postoperative functional damage to the endothelium. To compare phacoemulsification with extracapsular cataract surgery in patients with diabetes and to identify determinants of postoperative visual acuity.
                Prospective, randomized, paired-eye trial.
                Forty-six patients with diabetes and bilateral cataract.
                Patients were allocated to phacoemulsification surgery with silicone intraocular lens to one randomly determined eye, and extracapsular cataract surgery with 7-mm polymethylmethacrylate intraocular lens to the other.
                Logarithm of minimum angle of resolution visual acuity (logMAR VA), incidence of clinically significant macular edema (CSME), retinopathy progression, indices of anterior segment inflammation, and incidence of capsulotomy.
                Compared with eyes undergoing phacoemulsification, eyes managed with extracapsular surgery had more anterior chamber cells (P = 0.0004) and flare (P = 0.007) 1 week after surgery and a higher incidence of posterior synechiae (P = 0.04) and intraocular lens deposits (P < 0.0005) in the first postoperative year. The need for posterior capsulotomy was greater in eyes undergoing extracapsular surgery (16 of 46 vs. 5 of 46, P = 0.01). No difference in incidence of postoperative CSME, progression of retinopathy, or development of high-risk proliferative retinopathy was identified between techniques (P = 1.0, 0.8, and 0.2). Median 1-year logMAR VA was worse in eyes undergoing extracapsular surgery (0.08 vs. 0.06, P = 0.02), especially in those with retinopathy (0.14 vs. 0.08, respectively; P = 0.01). The presence or absence of CSME at the time of surgery was the most significant determinant of 1-year logMAR VA in regression models for both extracapsular (P = 0.0004, R2 = 0.45) and phacoemulsification groups (P < 0.00005, R2 = 0.46).
                Phacoemulsification is associated with better postoperative VA, less postoperative inflammation, and less need for capsulotomy than extracapsular cataract surgery in patients with diabetes. However, with both techniques, the principal determinant of postoperative VA appears to be the presence or absence of CSME at the time of surgery. Early intervention, reducing the risk that unrecognized CSME is present at the time of surgery, may be more critical to outcome than choice of surgical technique.
This review provides evidence from seven RCTs that phacoemulsification gives a better outcome than ECCE with sutures. We also found evidence that ECCE with a posterior chamber lens implant provides better visual outcome than ICCE with aphakic glasses. The long term effect of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) needs to be assessed in larger populations. The data also suggests that ICCE with an anterior chamber lens implant is an effective alternative to ICCE with aphakic glasses, with similar safety. Phacoemulsification provides the best visual outcomes but will only be accessible to the poorer countries if the cost of phacoemulsification and foldable IOLs decrease. Manual small incision cataract surgery provides early visual rehabilitation and comparable visual outcome to PHACO. It has better visual outcomes than ECCE and can be used in any clinic that is currently carrying out ECCE with IOL. Further research from developing regions are needed to compare the cost and longer term outcomes of these procedures e.g. PCO and corneal endothelial cell damage.