Kj. Tarbet et al., COMPLICATIONS AND RESULTS OF PHACOEMULSIFICATION PERFORMED BY RESIDENTS, Journal of cataract and refractive surgery, 21(6), 1995, pp. 661-665
The use of phacoemulsification by ophthalmic surgeons has increased ma
rkedly over the past five years. Previous studies have reported relati
vely high rates of vitreous loss by residents learning phacoemulsifica
tion. We retrospectively analyzed the complications and results in 300
cases of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation perfo
rmed by residents. The first 40 cases done by four residents in their
second year of training were compared with approximately the last 40 c
ases done by each resident at the end of the third year. The overall r
ate of surgical complications was 6.3%, and the total rate of vitreous
loss was 3.3%. The rate of surgical complications during the initial
surgeries in the second year of residency was 9.3%; it was 3.3% by the
end of the third year. The rate of vitreous loss was 5.3% in the seco
nd year and 1.3% during the third year. Postoperatively, 90.6% of all
eyes had a final best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better (95%
excluding patients with pre-existing ocular disease). With proper trai
ning and supervision, the rate of surgical complications for residents
learning phacoemulsification is acceptably low when compared with the
rate for extracapsular cataract extraction.