Vannas scissors for removing corneoscleral sutures.

Abstract

This article is written for those of us who prefer to use nonabsorbable surgical (silk) sutures instead of absorbable surgical (gut) sutures. The difficulty and danger which is sometimes encountered in removing corneoscleral sutures led me to seek a safer and easier method. First, the use of forceps was eliminated in favor of using scissors alone. For this purpose very fine-bladed cuticle (manicuring) scissors were found satisfactory except in the case of a very apprehensive and uncooperative patient. Next was the attempt to untie the suture knot. This was found easy to do with jeweler's fine pointed forceps except in the case of very tight or deeply buried knots. However, noting the ease with which the sutures could be grasped with these forceps, I conceived the idea of scissors which would give the same feel and ease of handling— delicate narrow-bladed ones with spring action handle. Vannas (straight) capsulotomy scissors