This video was anonymously submitted by an ophthalmology trainee outside of the USA. He has completed about 90 cataract surgeries so far and he is looking for advice to hone his skills. He does a great job and the case goes well, but there are areas that could use improvement. Just looking at this picture, we can see that the draping should be upgraded in order to isolate the lid margin and sequester the eyelashes.
The incision for the surgery is acceptable, but could be improved as well. And remember that the phaco incision is part of the surgeon’s signature which will live forever in the patient’s cornea. The phaco chop technique is excellent – truly great for this early in the learning curve. If you an experienced cataract surgeon who has not yet learned phaco chop, now is the time. All of these young doctors in training are learning this technique and that means that you, with such experienced hands, will have an even easier time. All it takes is courage and effort.
This surgeon is highly talented and in the future, I expect him to blossom into an outstanding cataract surgeon. Thank you for your submission of this video. If you are a beginning surgeon, please submit a video anonymously so that you can get valuable feedback.
Click below to learn from this video of a novice performing phaco chop:
