Organic Phacoemulsification

Aim: Phacoemulsification is a procedure of cataract extraction constantly under modification. Various drugs and chemicals, like local infiltration anesthesia, tryphan blue dye and viscoelastic substances have been used concomitantly with the phacoemulsification procedure as a routine to provide for a smoother surgery. However, all these substances are associated with certain complication of their own. Peribulbar anesthesia has been known to be associated with ocular bleeding, ocular nerve trauma, ptosis, etc. Blue dye used for capsulorhexis can rarely be a source microbial infection. The ocular viscoelastic substances though very useful in maintaining the anterior chamber but is commonly noted to cause increased intraocular pressure and inflammation. Method: A comparative study was carried between conventional phacoemulsification and organic phacoemulsification i. e. phacoemulsification surgery without using peribulbar anesthesia, tryphan blue or ocular viscoelastic substances. The patients were regularly followed up and intra operative and post-operative complications were noted for both. Result: As compared with conventional phacoemulsification techniques, organic phacoemulsification was seen to be associated with lesser chance of complications like transient rise in IOP, stromal oedema, keratitis, cystoid macular oedema, etc. This was believed to be due to a combination of lesser intraoperative drug use, lesser surgical time and decreased post-operative medication requirement. Conclusion: Organic phacoemulsification proved to be a better technique than the orthodox technique.