2017 Volume 13 Issue 4 Pages 172-179
Phacoemulsification and aspiration (PEA) has become the most popular surgery for cataracts. However, corneal endothelial damage still represents a serious complication, as excessive damage can lead to irreversible bullous keratopathy. The corneal endothelium can be damaged during phacoemulsification by such factors as excessive duration of phacoemulsification, localized temperature increases, and damage from lens nucleus fragments caused by the turbulent flow of the irrigating solution, air bubbles, or free radicals associated with ultrasound oscillation. We evaluated the various causes of damage to the corneal endothelium during PEA, aiming to establish safer methods of cataract surgery.
