Femtosecond laser technology has been used by LASIK eye surgeons for over 10 years to correct refractive vision problems.

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Femtosecond Laser

Offering quick and consistently well constructed flaps, they have become the preferred choice among almost every physician.

Femtosecond laser surgery has been one of the hottest topics lately. However, like with most lasers, it was first designed for a different purpose, namely to cut vitreous membranes. Subsequently, it became apparent that the femtosecond laser would be incredibly effective for corneal surgery due to its high level of precision and the ability to program a wide variety of cuts since this laser scalpel is controlled by software.

There have been numerous studies regarding various types of incisions and their effects on healing times and improved results, but most were impossible to achieve due to cuts being done manually. Now, however, with the femtosecond laser, surgeons are able to make accurate and precise incisions. This leads to safer and more effective surgery and patients will enjoy better quality vision.

The femtosecond laser technology has now been further enhanced to provide the same benefits to cataract patients.

When asked his opinion of femtosecond laser surgery and the impact it will have on cataract surgery, Dr. Stephen Slade, the first ophthalmologist to perform this surgery in the U.S., he claimed that he believed it will change the procedure immensely in the U.S. and the changes wouldn’t take long to appear.

Femtosecond laser cataract surgery is a highly patient friendly procedure due to improved precision and safety and, according to Dr. Slade patients will eventually demand it due to better results. He also feels that it will become a more graded and standardised procedure.

“Refractive outcomes I believe will be improved and that is because we will be able to better position the IOL within the eye so that we will have a tighter standard deviation of the spherical component… We will also be able, actually, to treat and maybe even prevent astigmatic errors, induction of astigmatism and treat pre-existing astigmatism… People will simply be able to see better without glasses after cataract surgery – along the lines of LASIK,� Dr. Slade explained when questioned on his views regarding the benefits to patients of femtosecond laser surgery.

Additionally, in terms of patient benefits, femtosecond laser surgery reduces phaco times and requires less manoeuvring within the eye. Fewer broken capsules and a reduction in epithelial cell loss have also been noted. All these factors lead to a higher degree of safety for the patient, including a lower likelihood of complications appearing after the surgery.

It has also been observed that, after femtosecond laser cataract surgery, the cornea is much clearer, which might be due to less manipulation of the tissue and the increased precision of the laser.

Thus, femtosecond laser surgery offers both patients and surgeons a whole host of benefits and will likely become the preferred form of laser surgery when it comes to refractive cataract surgery.