Intraoperative complications of planned extracapsular cataract extraction versus manual nucleofragmentation

Abstract Purpose: To compare the intraoperative complications of planned extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with those of manual nucleofragmentation. Setting: Hospital de la Esperanza, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain. Methods: This retrospective study comprised 567 eyes; 444 had planned ECCE and 123, manual nucleofragmentation through a scleral tunnel incision. Results: No significant differences between techniques were found in terms of intraoperative complications ( P P Conclusions: Although phacoemulsification is the procedure of choice in many cases, manual nucleofragmentation is a safe and valid alternative that achieves the goals of small incision cataract surgery.