Comparison of the Outcomes of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) and Phacoemulsification (PHACO) in Ghana

Background: The growing middle-class population of Ghana has seen more people being employed in visually demanding occupations and hence there is an increased desire for quality post-cataract surgical visual outcomes. This study aimed at comparing the outcomes of manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) and phacoemulsification (PHACO) among Ghanaians. 

Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study in which records of patients who underwent MSCIS or phacoemulsification by the same surgeon were reviewed. 

Results: Medical records of 248 eyes were reviewed, out of which 132 underwent PHACO and 116 had MSICS. A significant number of the PHACO group had good (6/6-6/18) uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) compared to the MSICS group at 1-2 weeks follow-up (p = 0.003) and 4-6 weeks follow-up (p = 0.002). MSICS resulted in a higher total astigmatic change compared to PHACO (p < 0.001). The PHACO group had a higher number of postoperative complications compared with the MSICS group (p <0.001). Postoperative borderline and poor uncorrected visual acuity were associated with age, total astigmatic change, and postoperative complications. 

Conclusion: The postoperative UCVA outcomes at 4-6 weeks' follow-up indicates that PHACO resulted in noticeably less spectacle dependency when compared to MSICS.