Finger-Controlled Nonultrasonic Lens Extractor.

Purpose: To report initial surgical experience and learning curve with a novel finger-controlled, ultrasoundless lens extractor device and provide insights for future surgical endeavors.

Setting: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Miami, FL).

Design: Single-center, non-comparative, retrospective, consecutive case series.

Methods: 61 eyes of 51 individuals with cataract. All surgeries were performed with the miCOR® 700 lens extractor (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc, Dublin, CA) by a single experienced physician. Nuclear density was graded preoperatively. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP) and pachymetry were evaluated pre- and postoperatively. Surgical videos were reviewed to collect data on time for each surgical step and complications. Regression analyses assessed the learning curve, performance improvement and effects of nuclear density on surgical time and postoperative pachymetric variation.

Results: Subjects had a mean age of 72.2 ± 7.6 years. Increased surgical experience significantly reduced procedure time (P < 0.001), nuclear removal time (P = 0.018) and cortex removal time (P = 0.002). Higher nuclear density resulted in longer procedure (P < 0.001) and nuclear removal time (P < 0.001). One posterior capsular rent occurred, not attributed to the lens extractor. No thermal damage to the corneal wound was observed. Postoperative CDVA improved significantly (P < 0.001 for eyes without ocular comorbidities, P = 0.016 for eyes with ocular comorbidities). All cases of corneal edema and IOP spikes resolved within a month.

Conclusions: The miCOR® 700 lens extractor offers an innovative, cost-effective approach to cataract surgery. Further research is needed to compare it with conventional phacoemulsification techniques.