Any type of nucleo-fractis is great: divide-and-conquer, stop-and-chop, pre-chop, femto-laser, or any variation of phaco chop. As long as you can break up the nucleus into smaller fragments, then you are doing well. But I also think it’s imperative that we learn all different variations even if we choose one to be our favorite. Think about tennis serves: a flat serve (continental or eastern grip), a slice serve, a kick serve, or even an underhand serve. It would behoove you to learn all of them so that you can change it up for any given situation. This is why I encourage all surgeons, especially resident/fellow surgeons, to learn phaco chop. Yes, it is more challenging to learn, but it is worth it. Watch this video as a senior resident tries phaco chop. You can do it too!
