Irrigation, aspiration, and polishing cannula.

Aspiration of the lens cortex and capsule polishing are two important aspects of modern extracapsular cataract surgery. In this report we describe simple but useful modifications to the widely used Simcoe irrigation/aspiration cannula. The modifications consist of enlarging the aspiration port diameter from 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm and altering the terminal segment of the cannula to a sandblasted capsule polisher. The 0.4 mm diameter aspiration port reduces the incidence of capsular entrapment and allows a more efficient aspiration of cortex of varying textures. The modifications eliminate the need for a separate capsule polishing instrument and allow simultaneous lens material aspiration and capsular cleanup. These modifications can be used for any irrigation/aspiration cannula whether manually or machine operated.