Ophthalmologists have given much time and thought to the perfection of the cataract operation. A considerable literature on the technic of cataract surgery has accumulated in recent years, much of it concerning accurate and firm closure of the incision.
It has been generally accepted that firm closure of the cataract wound leads to fewer postoperative complications, such as prolapse of the iris and vitreous, fewer cases of delayed closure of the anterior chamber and a considerable decrease in the incidence of postoperative hyphemia. The experimental studies of Hilding1 and the statistical studies of Leech and Sugar2 and McLean3 all bear this out. Firm closure of the incision allows the patient much more freedom of movement and permits the aged patient to be out of bed forty-eight hours, or even as early as twenty-four hours, after the operation. It is evident that this is quite an achievement when