To evaluate the outcomes in patients with nanophthalmos that had phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.

This retrospective study included 13 eyes of eight patients with nanophthalmos who had phacoemulsification with IOL implantation: Preoperative and postoperative manifest refraction, best-spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), preoperative axial length, anterior chamber depth, corneal diameter, manual keratometry, intraocular pressure (IOP), and postoperative complications were analyzed.

Eight patients (13 eyes) had phacoemulsification with IOL implantation, 11 eyes by posterior chamber IOL implantation, and two eyes by ciliary sulcus fixation. The mean change in visual acuity from preoperative to postoperative was 2.1±2.0 lines. IOP was well controlled postoperatively, but one eye required a trabeculectomy. No patients required partial sclerotomy during the operation. Choroidal effusions or choroidal detachment was not observed intraoperatively or postoperatively. The mean endothelial cell loss was 12.6±17.7% at two months postoperative.

The results of phacoemulsification and IOL implantation through clear corneal incision in nanophthalmic patients are encouraging. Most patients showed improved visual acuity without severe complications.