AIM:To investigate the effectiveness of surgical simulator-based small-incision extracapsular cataract extraction training for young ophthalmologists.METHODS:Prospective and controlled study. A total of 48 young participants who had completed at least 3a standardized residency training or had obtained the attending certificate in the He Eye Specialist Hospital from 2020 to 2022 were enrolled. All the participants were randomly divided into simulator surgical operation training group(experimental group, n=24)and real animal eye operation training group(control group, n=24)after passing the theoretical training and assessment of small incision extracapsular cataract extraction. The participants in the experimental group and control group were trained with the surgical simulator and pig eyes respectively. After training, the overall effectiveness of training in both groups was rated using the simulator and pig eye operation was evaluated.RESULTS: The participants in the experimental group used less time than the participants in the control group on simulator assessment(all P<0.05). The scores of injecting viscoelastics during keratonyxis, nucleus delivery and hydrate the paracentesis site steps were not different on simulator assessment between the two groups(P>0.05). For the rest of the steps, the scores of experimental group were higher than those of the control group(all P<0.05). Participants in the experimental group had significantly higher scores than control group on pig eye operation assessment(all P<0.05). In the experimental group, the scores of the scleral groove dissection, tunnel dissection, continuous circular capsulorhexis, hydrodissection and hydro-prolapse and nucleus delivery steps had no significant difference between the surgical simulator and pig eye operation(P=0.068, 0.126, 0.960, 0.520, 0.206). The scores of injecting viscoelastics during keratonyxis, tunnel puncture into anterior chamber and hydrate the paracentesis site steps were significantly lower on simulator assessment than pig eye operation(P=0.007, 0.014, <0.01). The scores of the cortex removal and intraocular lens(IOL)implantation were significantly higher on simulator assessment than eye of real animal(P=0.035, <0.01).CONCLUSION:The application of surgical simulator on training small incision extracapsular cataract extraction skills for young ophthalmologists could significantly improve their skills in cataract surgery operation, providing a new mode and idea for the establishment of standardized cataract surgery training for young ophthalmologists.