Face-to-face upright seated positioning for cataract surgery in patients who cannot lie flat

Abstract

We describe a technique for cataract surgery in patients unable to adopt the conventional face-to-ceiling position. A standard reclining operating chair and operating microscope are used. Patients are seated instead of lying down, with the chair back elevated 30 to 80 degrees above the horizontal and the operating microscope rotated 45 to 60 degrees to vertical. The surgeon is seated or standing, facing the patient. A clear corneal incision is used via an inferior, temporal, or inferotemporal approach under topical intracameral anesthesia without sedation. Results of this technique in a case series comprising 32 eyes are reported. The technique is useful for patients unable to adopt the traditional approach for cataract surgery and at high risk for complications from general anesthesia. It is technically challenging so should be attempted by experienced surgeons only.