Comparison of 2.2 mm vs. 2.6 mm corneal incisions in phacoemulsification in hard nuclear cataracts: impact on intraoperative energy and postoperative corneal recovery

The corneal incision size (2.2 mm versus 2.6 mm) did not influence the use of intraoperative ultrasound energy or result in differential corneal endothelial cell loss. However, smaller incisions (2.2 mm) were associated with increased short-term edema at the incision site, potentially impacting early wound healing.