Phacoemulsification vs Small-Incision Manual Cataract Surgery: An Expert Trial

In this issue, results from a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) are published in which two techniques for cataract extraction are compared.1 The question of whether manual sutureless small-incision extracapsular cataract surgery (SICS) is as effective and safe as phacoemulsification is addressed. When publication was sought for a British Medical Research Council (MRC) trial comparing phacoemulsification to extracapsular extraction, peer reviewers initially recommended rejection because they regarded the case already made that phacoemulsification was safer and more effective.