METHODS: ARC patients treated in the Ophthalmology Department of the hospital from January 2025 to November 2025 were retrospectively enrolled and divided into two groups according to the corneal incision size: the observation group underwent 2.2 mm clear corneal incision, while the control group underwent 3.0 mm clear corneal incision. The two groups were compared in terms of intraoperative parameters, pre- and postoperstive best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), surgically induced astigmatism(SIA)at 1 wk, 1 and 3 mo postoperatively, inflammatory response(anterior chamber flare value and anterior chamber inflammatory cell count)at 1 and 3 d postoperatively, corneal endothelial cell parameters \〖corneal endothelial cell density(CECD), hexagonal cell ratio(HEX), coefficient of variation(CV)of cell area, and corneal endothelial cell loss rate\〗 measured preoperatively and at 3 mo postoperatively, and the incidence of complications within 3 mo after surgery.

RESULTS:A total of 120 ARC patients(120 eyes for patients with bilateral eyes meeting the inclusion criteria, only the right eye was enrolled)were enrolled, with 60 patients(60 eyes)in the observation group(31 males and 29 females, mean 68.93±6.01 y)and 60 patients(60 eyes)in the control group(28 males and 32 females, mean 69.25±5.73 y). No statistically significant differences were observed in preoperative baseline data between the two groups(all P>0.05). The mean intraoperative ultrasound time, mean phacoemulsification energy, cumulative dissipated energy, and volume of irrigation fluid used in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(all P<0.01. At 1 d and 1 wk postoperatively, BCVA in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group(both P<0.05). At 1 and 3 mo postoperatively, there was no statistically significant difference in BCVA between the two groups(both P>0.01). At 1 wk, 1 and 3 mo postoperatively, SIA in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the change in astigmatism axis at 3 mo postoperatively was also significantly smaller in the observation group(P<0.01). At 1 and 3 d postoperatively, the anterior chamber flare value and inflammatory cell count in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(all P<0.05). At 3 mo postoperatively, CECD and HEX in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while CV and endothelial cell loss rate were significantly lower(all P<0.05). The total incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was 11.7%, which was significantly lower than that in the control group(26.7%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION:Compared with the 3.0 mm clear corneal incision, the 2.2 mm clear corneal incision phacoemulsification for ARC can significantly improve phacoemulsification efficiency, reduce early postoperative inflammatory response and SIA, accelerate visual recovery, better preserve the morphology and function of corneal endothelial cells in the short term, and lower the incidence of complications.