Statistical analyses were performed using STATA (version 10; StataCorp, College Station, Texas, USA). Randomized control trials or parallel arms (one with phacoemulsification and one SICS) design studies were included in the meta-analysis. Primary outcomes were presented either as binary or continuous variables. Binary data (BCVA and UCVA related) were based on standard cut-offs as explained previously. For binary variables, a pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. For the continuous outcomes, the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI was calculated. Statistical heterogeneity was tested using the Chi-square and I2 statistic. To accommodate the diversity that each study is contributing, or treatment effects that individual studies are estimating; the results using random effects modeling are presented. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using DerSimonian-Laird method.18 Intraoperative and postoperative complication data were analyzed by taking weighted estimates for analysis by assigning OCTET score to each of the complication as its weigh, where data was not available (for certain visual acuity cut-offs or details such as endothelial cell loss or astigmatism), those studies were excluded from the meta-analysis of that particular outcome measure. Surgery time and cost data were obtained from a review manuscript.19