1122: Remote Capsulorhexis Training

Prof. John Ferris has started a novel program of remotely teaching young surgeons to improve their surgical skills. This can … More

1119: resident attempts a white cataract

This is case number 50 for a resident who is being supervised by a senior attending faculty member. It is … More

1113: surgery center OR block time

Welcome to another Monday morning from my operating room (OR) at our Beverly Hills surgery center. We are discussing surgery … More

1102: capsule rupture with the IA probe

A posterior capsule rupture can happen at any time during cataract surgery and in this case it is right at … More

1096: converting from phaco to ECCE

There are rare times when it becomes important to convert from phaco to manual extra-capsular cataract extraction. This is one … More

1088: Recent residency graduate critique

This video was submitted by an ophthalmologist who recently graduated from residency training. He has about 350 phaco cases of … More

1086: Do you get nervous or anxious?

I will be the first person to tell you that performing ocular surgery is stressful and not easy. We are … More

1080: phaco tip punctures the capsule

This anonymously submitted video shows a complication that can happen to any of us. This patient had a white cataract … More

1066: senior resident stop-and-chop

This cataract surgery is being performed by a senior resident in the USA (PGY-4 level which means post-graduate year number … More

1057: Resident Double Capsulorhexis

The idea behind the double capsulorhexis is to avoid the capsule run-out (Argentinian Flag Sign) for intumescent white cataracts that … More

1053: that’s not cortex you’re pulling!

In this anonymously submitted video, we see that if the capsule is inadvertently grabbed by the suction from the I/A … More

1051: Fixing the Upside Down IOL

When we inject an IOL, we must ensure that it goes into the eye (either in the capsular bag or … More

1042: you must practice suturing!

If more than 99% of my cataract surgery cases do not require a suture, then why is it so important … More

1035: First year in practice cataract

In keeping with our theme of learning from the cataract surgeries of young surgeons who are at the beginning of … More

1033: USA resident’s first phaco chop

This video shows a resident surgeon’s first phaco chop. The key is that the resident is putting the effort to … More

1032: Portugal resident’s first phaco chop

This video shows a resident surgeon’s first phaco chop. The key is that the resident is putting the effort to … More

1031: resident phaco chop critique

Our video is from an anonymous resident surgeon in The Philippines who is performing a phaco chop variant during this … More

1030: Your Surgical Skills at Case 300

Where should your surgical skills be after 300 cases? We have previously explained the learning curve for cataract surgery and … More

1021: the nucleus drops during phaco

This anonymously submitted video shows a complication from a resident cataract surgery. The capsulorhexis radializes in the sub-incisional area and … More

1012: Resident White Cataract Chop

The drive to continually improve our surgical skills starts in residency and then continues for the rest of our careers. … More

1005: Resident’s first Anterior Vitrectomy

Every cataract surgeon will experience a ruptured posterior capsule and vitreous prolapse as a complication. The key is to recognize … More

1002: Do not upset the iris!

There is a lot to learn from this resident cataract surgery. The case starts out with a reasonable pupil of … More

I wish I had this book in residency!

“What your medical school and ophthalmology textbooks can’t teach you, but what your mentors, colleagues, and patients will!” That really … More

Simplified Pre-Chop Technique

The pre-chop technique refers to mechanically breaking the nucleus into smaller pieces prior to inserting the phaco probe into the … More

Pseudo-Exfoliation White Cataract

Our guest surgeon today is a young ophthalmologist from Spain and he is performing phaco for a patient with a … More

Never make an incision like this!

This is a resident case where the incision has terrible construction. The primary mistake is gliding the keratome along the … More

management of a dropped nucleus

This is a rare complication that can happen to any patient so the surgeon must know how to effectively manage … More

MSICS in Pseudo-Exfoliation

It is important to learn how to perform MSICS: manual small incision cataract surgery. This is a more evolved and … More

Bad Incisions lead to trouble

This anonymous resident starts the case with a poorly placed and poorly constructed incision. It ends up bleeding, allowing blood … More

Crucial lessons learned in residency

A complication during surgery can be a mistake or it can be a lesson. The difference between them is that … More

warning: phaco wound burn!

This is among the most important cataract surgery videos that you will see in your lifetime. Really. I have taught … More

Learning Phaco Chop: you can do it!

Young surgeons need to learn to perform phaco chop — it makes cataract surgery efficient and increases safety. Less ultrasonic … More

posterior chamber deepens with capsule break

When the posterior chamber deepens during cataract surgery, it is usually a sign that the posterior capsule has been ruptured. … More

Surprise! Loose Zonular Support!

This patient has a dense cataract and a surprise waiting for the surgeon: as the nucleus is being cracked, we … More

great learning resident cataract case

If you are in an ophthalmology residency program in the northern hemisphere, particularly in the USA, then you know that … More

Is ophthalmology residency too difficult?

There is no doubt that ophthalmology residency training is more difficult now than it was 10 or 20 years ago. … More

Setting your Phaco Speed Limit

The speed at which surgery happens during phaco is directly related to the aspiration flow rate, which is measured in … More

Review: Management of Iris Prolapse

In this resident performed surgery, we encounter iris prolapse after too much hydro-dissection. This results in the iris prolapsing out … More

Cataract Quiz: Why did the capsule rip?

This resident surgeon recently experienced quite a surprise: when he injected viscoelastic at the beginning of the surgery, the anterior … More

Resident Case: improve white cataract chop

In this anonymous video from a resident in Germany, we look to improve the horizontal chop technique in a dense … More

Resident Case: improve stop-and-chop

In this anonymous video from a resident in the USA, we look to improve the stop and chop technique. This … More

Resident Case: improve tilt and chop

In this anonymous video from a resident in Argentina, we look to improve the tilt and chop technique. This young … More

Resident Case: improve vertical chop

In this anonymous video from a resident in India, we look to improve the vertical chop technique. This young surgeon … More

Resident Case: improve horizontal chop

In this anonymous video from a registrar (resident) in the UK, we look to improve the horizontal chop technique. This … More

Resident Case: improve flip and chop

In this anonymous video from a resident in South Korea, we look to improve the flip & chop technique. This … More

climbing up the surgical skill bell curve

Learning surgery, particularly micro-surgery, is very difficult. No one is born knowing how to work within the 0.25 cubic centimeter … More

Resident recovers from capsule break

In the course of learning cataract surgery, resident ophthalmologists will encounter complications such as this posterior capsule rupture. The key … More

Which resident will win this contest?

Residents often prefer to learn divide-and-conquer as the first nucleo-fractis technique for phaco surgery. This requires making a central groove … More

Cataract Quiz: Use the can-opener now?

During capsulorhexis creation, this resident surgeon loses control of the anterior capsule edge and it runs all the way out … More