Background: This study was undertaken to compare two types of incisionsstraight and inverted V ‘Chevron’ incisions in manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) with regards to surgically induced astigmatism. Methods: A prospective comparative study involving 100 eyes of 100 patients who underwent MSICS at Department of Ophthalmology, Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Science, Bhuj, Kutch. All patients were subjected to a detailed ocular examination. Out of the 100 patients who underwent MSICS, 50 were randomized into Straight incision group and 50 into Inverted V shaped ‘Chevron’ incision group respectively. Results: No statistically significant difference noted in postoperative uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity. However, only 22% (n=11) of the patients who underwent MSICS with inverted chevron incision had SIA > 1.5 D, as compared to 48% (n=24) in the straight incision group, which was statistically significant. Conclusions: Inverted V shaped ‘chevron’ incision results in lesser postoperative astigmatism.

Keywords: Bhuj; Cataract Surgery; Incisions; Stigmatism.