Objective To explore the effective drying method and drying duration for the lumen of phacoemulsification-specific surgical instruments. Methods 360 phacoemulsification handpieces and 420 irrigation/aspiration handpieces collected from a hospital within 60 minutes after use between March 2025 and June 2025 were randomly divided into 6 groups (60 pieces per group) and 7 groups (60 pieces per group), respectively. After all handpieces were cleaned and disinfected using a medical vacuum automatic cleaning machine, the control group was directly dried in a 60 ℃ medical vacuum drying cabinet for 20 minutes. In the test group, the irrigation and aspiration lumens were first pre-dried through continuously blowing air with a pressure air gun for 30 seconds, then all were uniformly placed in a medical vacuum drying cabinet at 60 ℃ for drying. The drying durations were as follows: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes for phacoemulsification handpiece group, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes for irrigation/aspiration handpiece group. At the end of each drying time, cobalt chloride strip test was used to evaluate the drying effect on the lumens. Results There were statistically significant differences in the qualified rate of lumen drying between phacoemulsification handpiece and irrigation/aspiration handpieces of different groups (both P<0.05). In control group, the qualified drying rates of phacoemulsification and irrigation/aspiration handpieces were 23.33%(14/60) and 16.67%(10/60), respectively. In test group, the qualified drying rates were both 100% for the lumens of phacoemulsification handpiece after continuous blowing with a pressure air gun for 30 seconds+vacuum drying for 5 minutes and for the lumens of irrigation/aspiration handpieces after continuous blowing with a pressure air gun for 30 seconds+vacuum drying for 6 minutes. The qualified rate of lumen drying in each test group showed an upward trend with the increase of drying time (all P<0.05). Conclusion After the lumens of the phacoemulsification handpiece and the irrigation/aspiration handpiece were mechanically cleaned and disinfected, each lumen was first pre-dried manually by continuously blowing with a pressure air gun for 30 seconds, then placed in a medical vacuum drying cabinet at 60℃ for drying. Drying for 5 minutes for the phacoemulsification handpiece and 6 minutes for the irrigation/aspiration handpiece can ensure the effectiveness of lumen drying for phacoemulsification-specific surgical instruments.