Clinical Course of Phacoemulsification Wound Burns

Purpose: To present 3 cases illustrating the outcomes of phacoemulsification corneal wound burns.

Setting: A university referral center.

Methods: This was a retrospective case series.

Results: Three patients developed corneal wound burns during phacoemulsification of cataract. All eyes developed from +7.00 to +15.00 diopters of astigmatism in the axis of the incision. In 2 eyes, the astigmatism decreased over several months. The third had permanent high astigmatism and corneal edema requiring corneal transplantation.

Conclusions: Corneal wound burns occurring during phacoemulsification can have serious effects on the cornea, including corneal edema and severe astigmatism. In the milder cases, the astigmatism decreases spontaneously over several months.