Objective:

Evaluate the phacoemulsification learning curve of ophthalmology residents.

Methods:

A prospective longitudinal descriptive study was conducted of the phacoemulsification cataract operations performed by ophthalmology residents at the Ocular Microsurgery Service from June 2014 to January 2016, with the purpose of evaluating the learning curve for this type of surgery. The variables analyzed were number of previous operations done, step of the surgical technique performed, phacodynamic parameters used (flow, vacuum, power and total time of ultrasound) and intraoperative complications. The study sample was 81 operations meeting the inclusion criteria. Qualitative variables were analyzed with Fisher's exact test. The relationship between continuous variables was determined by regression analysis for the best-fitting curve, their equations and their coefficient of determination. The statistical significance level used was p< 0.05.

Results:

Surgical stability was achieved in an average 19 procedures, with a significant decrease in complications.

Conclusions:

Residents with a minimum 30 previous operations are capable of performing the surgery in its entirety without complications.

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