Bimanual vs coaxial MICS

Bimanual microincision cataract surgery (MICS) and microaxial phacoemulsification provide optically better incisions but bimanual MICS respects corneal prolateness more than microaxial phaco, Professor Jorge Alió told delegates. “MICS is associated with less corneal oedema in the short term and less induction of corneal aberrations in the long term,” he said.

His comments came during a debate on controversies in cataract and refractive surgery, under the heading ‘bimanual vs coaxial phaco’.

Dr Graham Barrett, defending coaxial phaco, disagreed, stating that equipment he developed enabled a technique he called coaxial MICS, which he termed C-MICS. He said that bimanual phaco suffered from compromised fluidics. Moreover, he said that astigmatism didn't differ significantly between bimanual MICS and his C-MICS technique, and stability was better with C-MICS.

In a show of hands, the audience agreed with Barrett.

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