AIM:To investigate the effects of 1.8mm coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification in cataract patients with diabetic.

METHODS: Totally 130 eyes in 130 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were underwent phacoemulsification from January 2017 to December 2018, and they were randomly divided into observation group of 63 cases(63 eyes)and control group of 67 cases(67 eyes). The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of the two groups were compared. Average phacoemulsification energy(AVE), effective phacoemulsification time(EPT)were recorded of two groups. Corneal endothelial cell counts, corneal astigmatism and complications of two groups were compared preoperatively and 1wk, 1mo and 3mo postoperatively.

RESULTS: The BCVA in observation and control groups were improved after 7d, 1, 3mo operation(P<0.05). The differences of AVE(t=3.89, P<0.05)in observation and control groups were significant, while EPT(t=0.773, P=0.221)between them were not. The corneal endothelial cell counts between the two groups was not significantly different before surgery(t=1.21, P=0.114), while it reduced a lot postoperatively in both groups. The surgically induced corneal astigmatism of the observation group was much smaller than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant. The main complication was corneal edema.

CONCLUSION: The 1.8mm coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification is helpful to reduce surgically induced astigmatism and has less effect on corneal endothelial cell of patients with type 2 diabetic comparing to normal 3.0mm incision phacoemulsification.