To assess the impact of surgeon experience on early postoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) in eyes that have undergone phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery.

Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure. Although phacoemulsification is considered a safe method of performing cataract surgery, the risk of endothelial cell loss (ECL) remains.

Given that the surgical technique and speed typically improve with surgeon skill and experience, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of surgeon experience on the occurrence of ECL, as reflected by the presence of corneal edema.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Presence of senile cataract
• Age above 50 years
• History of visual acuity regression

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of white or Brown cataract
• History of previous ophtalmic surgery
• preexisting corneal pathology (cornea guttata, infectious keratitis or active inflammatory or old)
• Patients who developed intraoperative complications

One hundred sixty eyes underwent phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery performed by an experienced surgeon or a less surgically experienced ophtalmic assistant, using the divide-and-conquer or tilt-and-tumble technique for cataractous lens extraction.