Community Eye Health Journal (Jan 2003)
Sutureless Non-phaco Cataract Surgery: A Solution to Reduce Worldwide Cataract Blindness?
Abstract
The Search for Appropriate Sutureless Cataract Surgery. During the last decade, in industrialised countries phacoemulsification has largely replaced ab-externo extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lenses (ECCE/PC IOL) with sutures. The small self-sealing phaco incision provides rapid visual rehabilitation, and the surgery is increasingly done on an outpatient basis. However, in developing countries phacoemulsification is performed only on selected patients, usually those able to pay high treatment charges. The reasons for this include the cost of a phaco machine and consumables such as foldable IOLs. Until now, phacoemulsification has played a very limited role in the reduction of cataract blindness in low income countries. Therefore, eye surgeons in developing countries are searching for alternatives to phacoemulsification. We need a surgical technique which is easy to learn, provides an immediate good uncorrected visual outcome, and is affordable to most cataract patients. Such a technique would advance cataract surgery in low income countries and contribute to reaching the goal of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.
