Cataract is the clouding of the natural lens present in the eye. This process is usually encountered in patients after 40-45 years but in some cases, it may present at a younger age too.
In infants associated with other abnormalities, cataract maybe be present at birth also. Immediate treatment with surgery is necessary for adequate development of vision in young children.
Phacoemulsification is the preferred method in most cases. It involves the use of a machine with an ultrasonic handpiece equipped with a titanium or steel tip. The tip vibrates at ultrasonic frequency (40,000 Hz) and the lens material is emulsified. Fragmentation into smaller pieces makes emulsification easier, as well as the aspiration of cortical material. After phacoemulsification of the lens nucleus is completed, a dual irrigation-aspiration (I-A) probe or a bimanual I-A system is used to aspirate out the remaining peripheral cortical material. A foldable intraocular lens is then injected from the corneal incision.
In this technique, phacoemulsification is done through an ultra-small incision whose size can vary between 0.7 – 1 mm. This technique offers an advantage of ultra-small incision.