Effect of phacoemulsification with different transparent corneal incisions on corneal astigmatism

Objective To investigate the effect of phacoemulsification with different transparent corneal incisions and foldable posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation on corneal astigmatism. Methods All 112 eyes of 96 patients with cataract were divided into three groups randomly, group A, received superior temporal clear corneal incision(39 eyes of 34 cases); group B, received superior clear corneal incision at 11 O'clock(31 eyes of 26 cases); group C, received steepest corneal meridian as guided by corneal(42 eyes of 36 cases). The changes of corneal astigmatism and visual acuity were determined before and 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after operation. Results There was no statistically significant(P >0.05)in visual acuity in three groups before and after operation 1 week; 1 and 3 months after operation the visual acuities in group C were much better than those of the group A and B(P 0.05)between group A and B; 1 and 3 months after operation the corneal astigmatism of group C was much lower than in group B and group C(P <0.05). Conclusions The incision at the steepest corneal meridian guided by corneal has the least effect on corneal astigmatism and can improve visual acuity rapidly. Key words: Clear corneal incision;  Phacoemulsification;  Cataract;  Corneal astigmatism;  Astigmatism