Assessment of wound integrity in manual small incision cataract surgery in a tertiary hospital in South India

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to assess the wound integrity in small incision cataract surgery (SICS) by modified Siedel’s test. Material and methods: Forty eyes of 40 patients who underwent small incision cataract surgery from a rural background in South India were enrolled in the study after obtaining consent along with the surgical consent from January to March 2020. A complete history was taken, ocular examination and keratometry were performed. B-scan was conducted for patients with mature cataracts. Fundus examination was performed with slit-lamp biomicroscopy and 90 D lens. On the first post-operative day, the best-corrected visual acuity was recorded using the Snellen chart. Anterior segment examination was conducted. Wound integrity was assessed using modified Siedel’s test. Results: In our study, males constituted 55% of the study population, and females — 45%. The age or sex of the patient did not have a bearing on the need for suture in the patients who underwent small incision cataract surgery (p = 0.283). The cataract grade also did not affect the need for a suture in the study population (p = 0.280). All the patients in our study did not have a positive Seidel’s test, notwithstanding the age or sex of the patient, grade of cataract, site of incision, the presence or absence of suture, or the site of the incision, that is superior or superotemporal. Conclusion: Manual small incision cataract surgery can be considered a relatively safe and effective procedure for wound integrity and vision improvement.