A Comparative Study of Pre- and Post-Operative Refractive Errors in Cataract Surgery- Phacoemulsification vs. Manual SICS in a Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND has become the predominant procedure to manage cataracts developed countries while manual small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) has as a cost-effective alternative treatment modality to phacoemulsification the developing world. We wanted to compare the postoperative visual outcome unaided and aided visual acuity and induced astigmatism in patients undergoing and SICS. prospective observational research design was conducted among 200 cataract in the age group of 40 - 70 years in a tertiary care institute in a city from January 2016 to October 2017. Hundred patients from both and phacoemulsification each were included in the study. mean age in Phaco group was 60.72±4.31 years while mean age in SICS was 61.91±5.36 years. After surgery, both unaided visual acuity and best visual acuity improved in Phaco group as compared to SICS group at day 1, day 3, day 7 and at 2 weeks. There was significant difference mean astigmatism in diopters within groups in both groups at various intervals time. small-incision cataract surgery is comparable to phacoemulsification for rehabilitation of the patient with cataract, although the phacoemulsification has less surgically induced astigmatism as compared to SICS.