title: Nine-year safety with self-sealing corneal tunnel incision in clear cornea cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the safety of clear cornea cataract surgery using a self-sealing corneal tunnel incision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective noncomparative consecutive case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3500 consecutive clear cornea topical anesthesia cataract surgeries performed by one surgeon between January 1994 and May 2003 were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  All cases were operated using phacoemulsification via a temporal 3x2-mm clear cornea cataract incision under topical anesthesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases were evaluated for successful completion and postoperative endophthalmitis, retinal detachment (RD), corneal decompensation, and wound complications requiring a return to the operating room.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 3500 consecutive clear cornea cataract surgery cases performed under topical anesthesia were completed safely. A total of 56 cases (1.6%) required a suture due to wound leakage before completion of the surgery. No cases required a return to the operating room for suture placement. Six cases (0.17%) experienced an RD within a 30-day postoperative period. There were no cases of endophthalmitis or corneal decompensation detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the past 9 years, we have found that clear cornea cataract surgery performed under topical anesthesia is safe and results in few postoperative complications.
authors.affiliation: Lakeview Vision, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana 70124, USA.
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Monica
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D003315:Cornea / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013536:Suture Techniques; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing