Chopping techniques in cataract surgery.

Purpose of Review: To explain reasons for phaco chop, outline strategies for transitioning to chop, and summarize recent articles discussing chopping techniques.
Recent Findings: New variations of phaco chop may help with managing dense cataracts. Studies generally continue to show similar phaco time between traditional manual chopping and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. A nitinol ring prechopper compresses the lens similarly to horizontal chopping, which may reduce phaco energy for certain cases.
Summary: Both vertical and horizontal chopping continue to demonstrate multiple advantages over other nucleus disassembly techniques.
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