Phacoemulsification in Patients With Corneal Opacities

Corneal opacity is often encountered in patients seeking senile cataract surgery in developing countries. Corneal opacity impairs the intraoperative visualization during cataract surgery which increases the risk of copmlications. Several techniques were described to enhance the intraoperative visualization such as the use of anterior endoscopy, chandeiler retroillumination, and anterior chamber endoillumination. All these techniques require costly instrumentation. the aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of performing phacoemulsification using slit illumination of the surgical microscope without the need of additional instruments, and report the visual outcome.