All cataract surgeons will experience a posterior capsule rupture many times during the course of a career. This complication is … More
Category: beginning surgeons / novice surgeons
1998: case 250 how do you compare?
In the learning curve of cataract surgery, for most ophthalmologists case 500 is half-way up the learning curve. While you … More
1971: resident surgeon stop-and-chop
This left handed resident surgeon does a great job for case 78 but there are some important improvements which need … More
1941: excellent resident horizontal chop
This resident surgeon presents case 250 which features an excellent phaco chop technique. This resident has obviously spent much time … More
1940: resident learns vertical combo chop
The first thing that catches your attention in this picture is the large pterygium. And I agree that a more … More
1939: resident learning horizontal chop
This resident is learning horizontal phaco chop early in residency and this is case 50 from this young surgeon. The … More
1926: resident crater chop technique
The challenge in performing traditional phaco chop is that the probe tip has to hold the nucleus with vacuum while … More
1915: junior resident case takes 30 min…
This junior resident case takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. In our review of this case, we have … More
1901: senior resident stop-and-chop
It’s July and that means our senior residents (PGY4 in the USA) and busy climbing up the cataract surgery learning … More
1895: get the free CataractCoach Book
I must say thank you to Dr Hashem Abu Serhan from Doha, Qatar for spending the time compiling so much … More
1884: Lefty’s 25th solo cataract case
Whether you are right or left handed, the rules and challenges of cataract surgery are the same: safely remove the … More
1883: new surgeon’s third solo case
Now this is not the third time that this resident surgeon has scrubbed and participated in a cataract surgery. This … More
1881: your first solo phaco case of residency
Today is July 1 and that is the first day of the new academic year in the USA. For senior … More
1838: the easy way to learn phaco chop
There is some resistance among surgeons to learn a new technique because of the learning curve. For surgeons who are … More
1806: left-handed resident breaks the bag
Let me be the first to say that it is perfectly fine for a surgeon to be left handed. Surprisingly, … More
1771: further progression of surgical skills
When I saw case 25 from this resident (link here) I was amazed at his skill level and just how … More
1752: resident’s 3rd horizontal chop
Last week in video 1747, we showed you this same resident surgeon’s first case of horizontal chop and it went … More
1747: A resident’s first phaco chop case
The advantage of residency training is that a seasoned attending ophthalmologist is sitting right next to you, giving advice, teaching … More
1746: resident case 100 analysis
Time for some group learning and this young surgeon (and other beginning surgeons) need your input and advice. This is … More
1726: resident stop and chop case 200
Stop and chop is an important technique to learn during residency and even if you move on to a chop … More
1719: Crater Chop Technique
This resident cataract surgery case shows the crater chop technique where a central section of the nucleus is bowled out … More
1683: resident case 78 – what needs work?
In many surgical fields studies have shown that surgeons in training who have a history of video game playing tend … More
1681: your advice for this young doctor
Time for a group effort from out CataractCoach fans: this young surgeon has submitted case 100 and asks for our … More
1663: resident fixes synechiae small pupil
This small pupil case has a surprise in store for you. The patient has a history of prior uveitis which … More
1657: six mistakes young surgeons make
These key lessons are so important that I have made a new updated video for the current crop of young … More
1656: a really tough case for a resident
For any cataract surgeon this is a tough case: 94 year old patient (nonagenarian), short axial length, shallow anterior chamber, … More
1654: this capsulorhexis will radialize
Looking at this picture, the capsulorhexis appears to be proceeding well. It is round and intact and the resident is … More
1641: the keratome just cannot penetrate
This is a case from a resident surgeon who is learning cataract surgery. And the big initial challenge is making … More
1638: surprise zonular weakness
This resident surgeon does a good job with this tough case of a traumatic cataract. The intumescent liquefied lens cortex … More
1634: resident conquers the white cataract
A white cataract is a challenge for any surgeon, no matter how experienced, because the risks of potential complications is … More
1633: I am amazed by this resident surgeon
This anonymous video features case number 25 from a young resident ophthalmologist in training. The surgical skill, for case 25, … More
1596: resident divide and conquer
While I prefer variations of phaco chop for most of my cataract surgery cases, residents typically start learning cataract surgery … More
1577: improvement after 100 surgeries
Our anonymous resident surgeon submitted a video of routine cataract surgery which we featured a few months ago as video … More
1570: surgeon learns flip and chop
Our video is from an anonymous young surgeon in Australia who has learned the technique of flip and chop. The … More
1552: skill level after 250 cases done
Another anonymous USA resident sent me a video of the last case of residency, case number 250 where the nucleus … More
1543: resident pre-chopper technique
There are many ways to disassemble the nucleus into smaller fragments and the pre-chopper technique works well. This is a … More
1541: iris got caught in the phaco probe
The iris is a delicate and dynamic tissue that can inadvertently be aspirated into our phaco probe or irrigation/aspiration probe … More
1538: resident flip and chop case
Continuing with our theme of studying resident cataract surgeries in July, this case showcases a young resident from Brazil who … More
1536: improve your divide-and-conquer
Most resident surgeons start learning phaco with the divide-and-conquer technique for a good reason. This technique is not time dependent, … More
1535: resident capsulorhexis rescue
Learning the capsulorhexis is one of the toughest steps of cataract surgery. In this case, a resident surgeon encounters a … More
1534: a resident’s first phaco chop
We are in the middle of July and that means that ophthalmology residents in the USA are starting the academic … More
1533: handholding for your first phaco
Seasoned ophthalmologists frequently ask the technique for helping a resident surgeon complete that very first cataract surgery case. As we … More
1526: your first proctored surgical cases
Recent ophthalmology graduates are sometimes surprised that they must be proctored for surgical cases even though they have completed years … More
1524: surgical lessons from Scotland
I was recently in Scotland to speak at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists meeting in Glasgow in May 2022. The … More
1504: YoungMD connect contest winner
The grand prize winner of the YoungMD Connect video contest is Dr Sunil Mamtora from the UK. His video should … More
1503: YoungMDconnect contest results
I want to thank all of the CataractCoach and YoungMD Connect fans for the video submissions. As you realize, just … More
1467: MSICS: new resident surgeon
This video shows a beginner surgeon in residency who is performing MSICS. I show you this video to encourage you … More
1462: new graduate performs phaco chop
I am very proud of this young surgeon who is performing phaco chop for this routine cataract case. Let’s face … More
1452: always give the benefit of the doubt
This is one of the most critically important lessons in ophthalmic surgery. You must remember that the result of surgery … More
1437: another dropping nucleus!
We just featured a similar complication two days ago in video 1435, so why are we showing another dropping nucleus? … More