"Stop & drop"- a modified "stop & chop" phacoemulsification technique for cataract surgery.

Purpose: To introduce a novel technique termed "stop and drop" for creating the first crack in the initial hemi-nucleus, eliminating the need to slip a chopper under the anterior capsular rim during horizontal chopping, hence lowering the risk of capsular or zonular damage.

Methods: Placing a blunt chopper tip on the upper surface of the hemisection proximal to the capsular edge and pressing it downward to initiate a crack in a pinching manoeuvre. Once a crack has formed, the chopper can slide to the side, widening the crack and assisting the phaco needle to pull out the first fragment.

Patients' Experience of Anxiety and Pain during Retrobulbar Injections prior to Vitrectomy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between pain associated with retrobulbar block and anxiety levels before the injection.

Methods: This prospective observational, noninterventional study included consecutive patients who received a retrobulbar block by a single surgeon prior to undergoing 25G PPV at the Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Health Care Campus, between April 2016 and August 2017. Patients plotted their anxiety levels (scale 0-10) using the visual analogue scale for anxiety (VASA), and immediately after receiving the injection, they plotted their experienced level of pain (scale 0-10) using the visual analogue scale for pain (VAS), with scores ≥7 defined as severe.

Laser Pointer-Induced Maculopathy: More Than Meets the Eye.

Purpose: To describe the clinical findings in patients with laser-induced retinal injury.

Methods: Consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary center between January 2014 and December 2015 following inadvertent ocular exposure to a laser pointer were included. Evaluation included a full ophthalmic examination and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).