Aim: to evaluate and compare intraoperative and postoperative performance of expandable and foldable intraocular lenses. Material and methods: 40 eyes of 36 patients were included in this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 included patients implanted with an expandable hydrogel intraocular lens. Group 2 included patients implanted with an hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens. A standardized surgical protocol was followed using phacoemulsification with capsulorhexis and patients with coexisting ocular pathology were excluded. All patients received standardized medications and followup. Patients were examined at day 1 , day 3, 1 week, 1 month , 3 and 6 months.Results: Results were analyzed and statistically correlated. We evaluated and compared intraoperative and postoperative events in both groups.We found significant intraoperative complications to include; inadequate incision size in the expandable group with 55% of cases needed enlargement of the incision from 3.0-3.2mm. Implantation difficulties were encountered in both groups with difficulty in upper haptic introduction in 15% of cases in the expandable group. In the foldable group we encountered difficulty in folding in 20%, unfolding in the anterior chamber in 10% and a folding line in the optic in 10%.Complications related to capsulorhexis included a CCC that was larger than optimal in 15%(>5.5 mm). In the foldable group extension of the CCC occurred in 20%.Other intraoperative complications which were evaluated included decentration and posterior capsular rupture which did not occur in any cases in either group.Significant postoperative complications were evaluated and included: in the expandable and foldable group respectively at the end of the 6 month follow-up period; Cellular reaction in 0% and 0%. Lenticular precipitates in 10 % and 20%. Posterior synechiae in 0% and 0%. Decentration in 20% and 25%. Posterior capsular opacification in 10 % and 10%.These differences were not statistically significant. Corneal edema developed in 20% and 10% and resolved by the end of the 2nd week. Macular edema developed in 1 case (5%)in the expandable group.Conclusions: this study revealed encouraging results with the use of expandable hydrogel intraocular lenses and hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses. Intraoperative and postoperative evaluation of both lenses revealed comparable results.