The divide-and-conquer technique of cataract surgery is tried and true and it is the first nucleo-fractis technique that we teach to ophthalmology resident surgeons in training. The nice part with this technique is that there is no time-constraint, meaning that you can take your time making the grooves or cracking the nucleus into quadrants. The phaco chop technique, however, has a time constraint because once the phaco probe achieves higher vacuum suction of the nucleus there is a brief window (often 1 or 2 seconds) in which to make the chop before the holding power is lost. You can learn about this technique in our free 25 part Curriculum Series and the free CataractCoach Book.
