Modified bandage-contact-lens used as a guide-marker for performing continuous-curvilinear-capsulorhexis by a first-year-post-graduate-ophthalmology-resident.

PURPOSE

To define the use of modified bandage-contact-lens as a guide-marker for performing continuous-curvilinear-capsulorhexis by a first-year-post-graduate-ophthalmology-resident.

OBSERVATION

Phacoemulsification has now become the standard cataract surgery in which anterior capsulorhexis is the first and most crucial step. A perfect capsulorhexis is difficult to learn and even more difficult to master with a steep learning curve when performed free-hand especially by a first-year post-graduate ophthalmology-resident. There is paucity of simple, single-use, easily portable, cost-effective and affordable devices designed especially for performing CCCs in a safe and reproducible way.In our technique, the bandage contact lens (BCL) is trephined using a 6mm corneal trephine. After topical or peribulbar block (as the case may be), the 6mm-guide-marker (trephined BCL) is placed on the cornea. The CCC is then completed using the edge of the contact-lens as a guide for CCC.

CONCLUSION

AND IMPORTANCE: CCC with contact-lens-guide-marker is expected to yield better results in carrying out the procedure more accurately being closer to the target in terms of size, circularity and centration as compared to contact-lens-unassisted conventional CCC. This would eventually facilitate better surgical outcomes and we recommend this to be applied as the standard protocol for first-year post-graduate ophthalmology-resident performing the surgery.