Objective: To make a comparative analysis of clear corneal phacoemulsification (PHACO) with rigid intraocular lens (IOL) and small incision cataract surgery (SICS) in camp patients reporting from hilly areas of Uttrakhand in terms of safety, efficacy and final visual outcome. Design: Retrospective study Material and Methods: A total of 214 patients of senile cataract were enrolled in this study conducted in ophthalmology department SGRRIM & HS, Dehradun, India over a period of twelve months. The participants were divided into PHACO and SICS as group A and group B respectively. The final outcome measures were the uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) on day one, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at six weeks, the surgical induced astigmatism (SIA) at six weeks, the intraoperative and postoperative complications. Results: Post-operative UCVA at day one was 6/18 or better in group A (72 of 104 eyes - 69.2%) as compared to group B (20 of 112 eyes -18.2%) and statistically significant (p < 0.001). The post operative BCVA at 6 weeks follow up revealed overall good visual outcome between 6/6 - 6/9 with PHACO group (76 of 104eyes -73.1%) showing better results than SICS (55 of 110 eyes -50.0%) group. (p < 0.001) The mean SIA at the end of six weeks in Group A (PHACO) was 1.10 ± 0.51, and in Group B (SICS) was 1.22 ± 0.42. (p =0.065). Overall incidence of intra operative complications was 8.7% in group A and 13.6% in group B. (p<0.619). Conclusions: Although both surgical techniques are sutureless, safe and effective for visual rehabilitation of cataract patients in camps, our study shows PHACO group demonstrating better final visual outcome as compared to SICS group. However, there was no significant difference in terms of surgically induced astigmatism and the complication profile.

Keywords: Camp; Visual Acuity; Astigmatism; Phacoemulsification.