Ophthalmic surgery can be very unforgiving. There is often very little or no room for error because the delicate ocular tissues cannot be restored after iatrogenic damage. Think about a cataract surgery where the posterior capsule ruptures — you cannot ever repair it. There are no sutures or adhesives that will allow you to repair the 4 micron thin posterior capsule. In this case, a resident surgeon is performing a corneal transplantation with an experienced attending surgeon guiding and teaching. Just one small misstep where the tip of the scissors poke into the iris, is enough to derail this entire case. While the corneal transplant surgery goes well, the patient develops a white cataract shortly after the procedure, indicating a violation of the anterior lens capsule. In this video, I share with you some important considerations regarding all of your future surgeries. Great learning indeed.
