Multilevel chop technique

The video documents the vertical chop technique. The phaco tip is introduced within the nucleus. The vertical element of the chopper is depressed posteriorly within the lens fibers, keeping it adjacent to the tip. This initiates a partial crack. Then the phaco tip is reintroduced at a posterior plane. The chopper is also repositioned at a posterior level within the crack. A combination of the vertical chop and lateral separation is performed with the chopper while the probe holds the occluded lens material in a stationary position. This effectively separates the posterior lens fibers completely. In very leathery cataracts, further repositioning of the phaco tip and chopper is seldom required.