title: Direct puncture capsulorhexis.
abstract: I describe a simple technique for performing capsulorhexis without viscoelastic material or expensive instruments. A slightly barbed, bent, 30-gauge needle is used to directly puncture clear cornea and create a capsulorhexis without the need for a groove or stab incision. Hydrodissection is carried out with the attached 1 cc syringe (tuberculin) filled with a balanced salt solution. Hydrodissection, hydrodelineation, and mobilization of the nucleus can be carried out before the eye is entered with a blade. With direct puncture, the technique is immune to the effects of high intraocular pressure and a shallow anterior chamber. The Technique is ideally suited for bimanual microincision phacoemulsification.
authors.affiliation: From the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. martin.spencer@shaw.ca
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Spencer
mesh_terms: D019923:Capsulorhexis / Q000379:methods*; D004322:Drainage; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D009339:Needles; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods; D011677:Punctures / Q000379:methods*; D013396:Suction