Anterior Capsule Polishing

During cataract surgery, the basic objective is to take the cataract out of its capsule and place a new lens implant in that capsule. There is some debate about whether taking every last fiber of the cataract out of the capsule is optimal, but it inherently makes sense to me that we should get as much of the cataract out as possible.

In the June 2024 edition of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Dr. Feng Huang and colleagues published a study that showed that more polishing of the capsule decreases contraction of the capsule opening. Contraction of the capsule opening is generally bad for vision, so the article supports the notion that removing more cataract fibers is a good thing.