AIM:To compare the clinical efficacy of small incision nucleus chopping surgery and phacoemulsification surgery and investigate their influence on the life quality of age-related cataract patients.

METHODS: Sixty-six cases of age-related cataract patients were divided into observation group and control group according to a randomized and controlled principle. Patients of the two groups were treated with small incision nucleus chopping surgery and phacoemulsification surgery individually. Visual acuity, astigmatism after surgery, corneal endothelium changes before and after surgery, intraoperative and postoperative complications and quality of life 2wk after surgery of the two groups were compared.

RESULTS: The uncorrected visual acuity at 1d, 1wk and 1mo after surgery, astigmatism at 1mo after surgery, quality of life at 2wk after surgery of the two groups showed no statistical significances(P>0.05). Two weeks after surgery, the number of corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells density and the ratio of hexagonal cells of two groups decreased significantly compared with pre-surgery(P<0.05), but the corneal endothelial indicators of observation group was higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Small incision nucleus chopping technique and phacoemulsification for age-related cataracts have good visual acuity, small postoperative astigmatism, higher quality of life for patients, but the former has less damage on corneal endothelial, which has thicker corneal endothelium after surgery.