PURPOSE: To study and compare the efficacy of 2.

8mm Single Clear Corneal Incision

versus 2.8mm Paired Clear Corneal Incision on pre-existing astigmatism in patients
undergoing phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

SETTING :The study was conducted at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research
and HAHC Hospital, New Delhi which is a tertiary health care centre.
STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, comparative interventional study.
METHODS : The patients undergoing cataract surgery were enrolled according to the
inclusion–exclusion criteria and randomly divided in two groups such that Group I—Patients
underwent phacoemulsification through 2.8-mm mm paired opposite clear corneal incision
(OCCI). Group II—Patients underwent phacoemulsification through 2.8mm single clear
corneal incision. Post-operative assessment was done at 1 day, 1 and 3 weeks and 3 months to
note best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA ), ophthalmic examination, corneal keratometry and
surgically induced astigmatism, post-operatively.
RESULTS: A total of 130 patients were included in our study. The change in corneal
astigmatism was statistically significant ( p =0.04) in paired OCCI group while it was not
statistically significant (p=0.542) in single clear corneal incision group at the end of 3 months
. On comparing the change between the two groups, paired OCCI group induced more degree
of astigmatic change than single CCI at 3 months and it was statistically significant (p= 0.03)
CONCLUSION: There was a significant reduction in post operative corneal astigmatism at 3
months with 2.8mm paired opposite clear corneal incision, and the inter group comparison
was statistically significant. 2.8mm paired opposite clear corneal incision induces more
surgical astigmatism at the end of 3 months than 2.8mm single clear corneal incision.