Objectives: To assess change in tear film status in patients undergoing small incision cataract surgery and phacoemulsification. Material and Methods: A sample of 200 patients was chosen out of which 150 underwent small incision cataract surgery (SICS) and 50 phacoemulsification. Tear film status was evaluated pre- and post-operatively (POD 1, POD 7, POD 21 and POD 45), with the help of Schirmer’s test, Tear film break up time, Tear meniscus height and OSDI. Results: On the last follow up day i.e., day 45, the overall prevalence of dry eye among the 200 patients, as determined by Schirmer’s Test, showed significant differences between the phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery (SICS) groups. In the phacoemulsification group, only 2% of patients (1 patient) experienced dry eye, while 98% (49 patients) did not. In the SICS group, 12.6% of patients (19 patients) experienced dry eye, while 72% (108 patients) did not. The difference in the prevalence of dry eye between the two groups was statistically significant (P-value = 0.029).. Conclusion: Any incision on cornea or ocular surface, corneal or scleral, disturbs the ocular surface. Thus, cataract surgery (SICS and phacoemulsification both) may lead to dry eye. Phacoemulsification causes much less dry eye than SICS from the early post-operative period on all the parameters. A grooved incision in SICS can aggravate the symptoms from the early postoperative period in patients without dry eye preoperatively.