DYNAMICS OF INTRACAPSULAR CATARACT EXTRACTION: EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WITH REFERENCE TO THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT, HANNOVER'S CANAL AND PETIT'S SPACE

With the growing popularity of intracapsular cataract extraction during the past two decades, few investigations, if any, have been made concerning the intricate anatomy of the structures in the anterior segment of the eye and the important role played by external and internal dynamic forces during this operative procedure. It has been the policy of some ophthalmic surgeons to throw discredit on the operation. Their conjectural remarks, so frequently offered, concerning the mechanical details of the operation have been based primarily on indirect reasoning. They claimed that a relatively large degree of trauma is inflicted on the eye during the delivery of the lens and that the eye undergoes deleterious changes which in time interfere with the patient's vision. There has been no objective proof presented, and it appears that this line of thought is unfounded. The operation can be accomplished by a qualified surgeon with a certain degree of