A forceps for microsurgery having a tubular shaft with a coaxially placed central rod, an upper shank with a proximate end attached to the tubular shaft and a distal end with an upper jaw attached thereto, and a lower shank with a proximate end attached to the distal central rod and a distal end with a lower jaw attached thereto. The upper and lower jaws both have diameters greater than the outer diameter of the tubular shaft, and may be offset from the upper and lower shanks, respectively, so as to facilitate microsurgical maneuvers such as lifting and grasping thin objects or tissue edges positioned on the surface of an iris or lens during an ophthalmological surgical procedure.
