Universal small incision for cataract surgery.

The goal of small incision cataract surgery is to perform the entire procedure, cataract removal and intraocular lens insertion, through the smallest incision possible. Ideally the incision would be 3.0 mm in length, but because of practical considerations, a slightly larger wound is typically used. We describe a universal trapezoidal wound that is astigmatically neutral and provides the benefits of the ideal 3.0 mm incision, but allows the use of any small incision lens requiring an incision of 5.2 mm or less.