Phacoemulsification: Considerations for Astigmatism Management

Patient expectations for cataract surgery have increased significantly over the past several decades as surgeons have transitioned from standard extracapsular techniques to clear-cornea phacoemulsification. In addition to short operating times, topical anesthesia, and a sutureless procedure, patients increasingly expect spectacle independence following cataract extraction. In this tutorial we present the case of a 59-year-old man with a visually-significant cataract and consider the intraoperative management of astigmatism in a representative case of an individual with small-to-moderate cylindrical error.