Innovative Laser Improves Cataract Surgery Outcomes

Two new studies suggest that femtosecond laser systems may provide improvements in outcomes for cataract surgery.

Researchers at of the University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) conducted a retrospective review of 500 single-surgeon cases using the LenSx system, comparing safety parameters with those seen in the published literature on manual surgery. The researchers found that the rate of anterior radial tears was 0.2% versus 0.79%-5.6% in manual surgery controls. Additionally, there was no evidence of posterior capsule tears or posterior lens dislocation, versus a range of 0.45%-2.09% for posterior capsule tears and 0%-0.12% for posterior lens dislocation in the manual controls.


In terms of complications that lacked a comparison with manual surgery, the researchers found low rates of suction breaks, manual corneal incisions, pupillary constriction, and anterior capsule tags. A subgroup of patients that had both visual and refractive surgery--141 of whom had laser surgery and 57 of whom had manual--showed no significant differences in a number of visual and refractive outcomes three months after surgery. The study was presented as an oral session by Michael Lawless, MD, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting, held during November 2012 in Chicago (IL, USA).

In a second study, researchers at the Ruhr University Eye Hospital Bochum (Germany), reported their experience with 850 cases using the Catalys femtosecond laser. The researchers found that compared with manual surgery, laser surgery offered a more precise capsulotomy size and shape, as well as less capsular bag shrinkage (9.9 mm versus 9.6 mm). Postoperative inflammation was reduced by about 19% with femtosecond laser surgery by day one, and best-corrected visual acuity was also better in the early period of up to 2 months. The study was presented at the same AAO session by Burkhard Dick, MD.

Femtosecond lasers emit optical pulses with a duration well below 1 picosecond, in the domain of femtoseconds (1 fs = 10⁻¹⁵ s). The lasers are used in cataract and refractive vision correction surgery, and have been available on the market since 2011, starting with the LenSx system, a product of Alcon (Fort Worth, TX, USA), and followed by other devices including the Catalys system, a product of OptiMedica (Sunnyvale, CA, USA).

Related Links:
University of Sydney
Ruhr University Eye Hospital Bochum
Alcon