Cannula detachment during intraocular surgery: Impact, implications and what the theatre team can do

Cannula detachment during intraocular surgery is an uncommon but potentially blinding complication. When it happens, attention commonly turns to whether the scrub practitioner tightened the connection adequately. This article explains why a well-made connection can still fail under hydraulic load once the junction has been lubricated, why incomplete tightening, where it occurs, is better understood as a foreseeable human factor than as an individual failing, why the cause cannot be established from the outcome alone and what theatre teams can do to reduce the risk and limit the harm.