THE INITIAL COMPLICATION RATE OF PHACOEMULSIFICATION IN INDIA

Purpose. This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of tea ching experienced surgeons to perform phacoemulsification in India, a cataract-endemic area. Complications occurring during surgery and the first postoperative day were documented and evaluated. Methods. During a 1-month period, at the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, the first 100 consecutive cataract operations performed by each of three e xperienced surgeons (a total of 300 cases), using phacoemulsification were prospectively evaluated. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intraoperative and postoperative com plications. Results. The mean age of patients was 57.4 +/- 9.3 years. The median best corrected preoperative visual acuity was 20/80. Mean s urgical and phacoemulsification times were 15.8 +/- 3.7 minutes and 2. 2 +/- 1.5 minutes, respectively. Complications occurred in 65 (21.7%) eyes. The most common was a rent in the posterior capsule, occurring i n 40 (13.3%) eyes. There were significant variations in complication r ate and in surgical time among the surgeons. The risk of experiencing a complication decreased as the number of phacoemulsifications perform ed increased. An increased risk of complications was associated with w orse preoperative visual acuity and increasing patient age. Conclusion s. With each successive case, the chances of experiencing a complicati on decreased 1%, Acceptable results were obtained within 1 month of pe rforming the first phacoemulsification.