ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Comparison of phaco time and phaco energy between ultrasound (USP) and erbium laser (ELP) phacoemulsification at the Eye Clinic Neubrandenburg. METHOD: One surgeon performed all operations (n = 503) employing only USP (Harmony, D.O.R.C., Groningen, Netherlands). Phaco time was measured and converted to energy. Another surgeon performed all operations (n = 503) using only ELP. The energy transfer and phaco time were read from the Phacolase (Asclepion-Meditec, Jena, Germany). Nucleus hardness distribution was comparable for both surgeons. RESULTS: Phaco times in USP/ELP were as follows: nucleus hardness 0: 0.7 s/7.5 s, nucleus hardness 1: 9.6 s/57.6 s, nucleus hardness 2: 23.7 s/106.9 s, nucleus hardness 3: 39.3 s/215.1 s, and nucleus hardness 4: 68.9 s/232.0 s. Energy in USP/ELP was as follows: nucleus hardness 0: 7.2 J/0.9 J, nucleus hardness 1: 96.7 J/23.5 J, nucleus hardness 2: 237.3 J/53.1 J, nucleus hardness 3: 392.5 J/149.1 J, and nucleus hardness 4: 688.6 J/176.6 J. CONCLUSION: ELP takes longer than USP, but the energy transferred to the eyes for emulsification was lower with the laser in comparison to ultrasound.
