210 fig4 a illustrates a distal portion of a handpiece 400 which may be the same as the instrument 100 described above with reference to fig2 and 3 the handpiece 400 includes a cutting needle 410 an irrigation sleeve 415 and a body 416 the cutting needle 410 and the irrigation sleeve 415 may be the same as the cutting needle 110 and the irrigation sleeve 115 described above with relation to fig2 and 3 as mentioned above in relation to fig2 the handpiece 400 is placed in the eye 10 during a cataract removal procedure such as by way of non limiting example a phacoemulsification procedure in some embodiments the cutting needle 410 may be ultrasonically vibrated to break up or emulsify the diseased lens the irrigation fluid flows from the irrigation line 215 through the irrigation passageway 416 to exit into the eye through the irrigation ports 418 in the direction of arrows 440 the irrigation sleeve 415 concentrically surrounds the cutting needle 410 to define an annular irrigation passageway 417 therebetween the irrigation sleeve 415 includes at least one irrigation port 418 disposed near a distal tip or distal aperture 422 of the cutting needle 410 for example in the pictured embodiment the irrigation sleeve 415 includes two irrigation ports 418 in the pictured embodiment the irrigation sleeve 415 is detachably coupled to the cutting needle 410 the irrigation sleeve 415 may be detachably coupled to the cutting needle 410 by any of a variety of means including by way of non limiting example a threaded engagement a snap fit engagement a frictional engagement and or any other.