Regular serial refraction was used to determine the rate of stabilisation of refraction following routine extracapsular cataract surgery in 85 eyes. Patients were divided into four groups depending on wound closure technique: limbal section closed by interrupted 8-0 virgin silk, 9-0 polydioxanone or 10-0 nylon sutures, and corneal section closed by continuous 10-0 nylon suture. Stabilisation of refraction, sufficient to prescribe satisfactory glasses, occurred at three months except in the interrupted 10-0 nylon group, when stabilisation was delayed to between four and five months. The factors affecting stabilisation and the causes of the differences observed are discussed.