Phaco slice and separate.

Abstract

Phaco slice and separate retains the advantages of the chopping techniques of Nagahara, Koch, and Fukasaku but replaces chopping or snapping with slicing across the center of the phaco-tip-stabilized nucleus using a Nagahara chopper and then repositioning the chopper to optimally separate the divided lens halves. As the lens is rotated in the capsular bag, small pieces of the nuclear pie are sliced off, separated, emulsified, and aspirated. Emulsification and aspiration can alternatively be left until most or all the slices have been made. This technique works with a broader range of lens densities than other chopping techniques and uses no sculpting and very little phaco time. The phaco time required for this technique is relatively independent of nuclear density compared with a sculpting technique.