This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
'Fork tip' makes phacoemulsification safer, easier, more effective
ROME — A newly designed "fork tip" for phacoemulsification holds the nucleus firmly, allowing for safer, easier and faster surgery, according to one speaker here.
"Traditional tips are spoon shaped and are not effective in holding and fragmenting the nucleus," Hideharu Fukasaku, MD, said at the annual joint meeting of Ocular Surgery News and the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.
The new tip has pointed teeth at the distal end, just like a fork, which allow the tip to be deeply embedded into the nucleus to grasp it, hold it firmly and crush it.
"We have developed several prototypes for different grades of nucleus hardness. They all work well," Dr. Fukasaku said.
"This technique has great advantages, particularly for hard nuclei. It reduces overall phaco time and ultrasound time, enhancing the safety of the procedure," he said.
In all the patients he has treated using this tip, cataract surgery was quicker and less ultrasound power was used.