A whole new category of micro-ophthalmic instruments has arrived on the scene in the last several years to accommodate new phacoemulsification techniques and their smaller incisions. Two decades ago, a surgeon could have more than 20 instruments in his tray for cataract surgery. Today, most have fewer than a dozen, many of which, such as the Utrata forceps for tearing the capsulorhexis, have become smaller along with the phaco incision. Here's a review of the tools your surgeons pass through the 1mm side-port incision.