Materials and Methods: Retrospective chart review of eyes that underwent retroillumination-assisted cataract surgery in a tertiary center. Patients with age less than 18 years old and incomplete records were excluded. Intraoperative complications were reviewed, and the pre- and post-operative best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA) were compared.

Results: Seventeen cases (9 males, 8 females) were included for analysis, with a mean age of 55.7 years (range 26.6 - 80.8 years). The type of retroillumination used was chandelier (n=12, 70.6%) or light pipe retroillumination (n=5, 29.4%). Out of the 17 eyes, 1 posterior capsule rupture was noted in a case operated with a light pipe. There were no cases of zonular dialysis or dropped nuclear fragments. Another case had a non-expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage secondary to a severe coughing episode. Additionally, there were 2 peripheral retinal tears noted during the vitrectomy portions of the cases but were not related to the use of retroillumination light. Patients were followed for an average of 11.6 months (range 1 ? 35 months). Mean pre-operative BCVA was 1.87 ± 0.77 LogMAR and improved significantly to 1.05 ± 1.03 LogMAR (paired t-test, p=0.037) at their most recent follow-up.

Conclusion: Retroillumination using chandelier or light pipe illumination is a safe and feasible surgical tool for removing cataracts in eyes with a compromised red reflex. Keywords : Chandelier, Retroillumination-assisted, Cataract surgery, Phacoemulsification, Vitrectomy