LEARNING PHACOEMULSIFICATION - THE SURGEON-IN-TRAINING

With the increasing trend towards phacoemulsification a perceived incr eased complication rate during the learning curve gives rise to a dile mma as to the best stage at which a surgeon-in-training can safely lea rn the technique. We prospectively analysed the complications and visu al outcome of the first 160 phacoemulsification procedures performed b y three surgeons-in-training. The main outcome measures included poste rior capsule tear, vitreous and nuclear loss, surgical re-intervention rate and visual outcome. Posterior capsule tear occurred in 7 eyes (4 .4%) and vitreous loss in 6 (3.8%). No nucleus was lost in the vitreou s. Surgical re-intervention was required in 1 eye. Best corrected visu al acuity was 6/12 or better in 88% of eyes. These results compare fav ourably with reports of surgeons-in-training learning extracapsular su rgery and also with recently reported phacoemulsification series. This study indicates that with careful case selection and supervision phac oemulsification can be a safe procedure.