AIM:To investigate and compare the therapeutic effects of phacoemulsification and small-incision cataract surgery on senile cataract.

METHODS: Totally 355 cases(393 eyes)of senile cataract patients were divided into group A and group B by treatment modality. Group A with 180 cases(193 eyes)was treated with cataract surgery through a small-incision, and group B with 175 cases(200 eyes)was treated withphacoemulsification. Postoperative visual acuity, corneal astigmatism and the density of corneal endothelium were compared respectively.

RESULTS: One day postoperatively, the visual acuity inphacoemulsification group was much better than that in small-incision cataract surgery group, but there were no statistically significant differences at 7 and 30 days. The corneal astigmatism in patients with small-incision cataract surgery was higher than that of with phacoemulsification 7 days postoperatively, but there was no significant difference at 30 days. For those patients with Ⅳ-Ⅴ degree of nuclear hardness, the density of corneal endothelium in phacoemulsification group was less than that in small-incision cataract surgery group.

CONCLUSION: Suitable operative mode should be chosen according to the nuclear hardness of senile cataract patients.