Aqualase called the ‘procedure of choice’ for younger patients

FLORENCE, Italy — Aqualase could become the procedure of choice for the growing number of patients undergoing lens surgery at a younger age, according to one surgeon.

“Nowadays cataract surgery is diagnosed and treated earlier than it used to be,” said Stephen Brint, MD, here at the Florence Symposium. “In addition, the new accommodative and pseudoaccommodative IOL options are encouraging an increasing number of patients to chose clear lens exchange as a refractive procedure.”

This group of patients is likely to have less dense nuclei, ranging from trace cataract to a low 3+ density, Dr. Brint said. For these younger patients, safety is a vital issue, he added.

“The Aqualase allows for a safer procedure, with no tunnel burning, reduced risk of capsule rupture and a more accurate cleaning of the posterior capsule,” he said.

With nuclei of this density and the appropriate surgical technique and machine settings, operating time is comparable to ultrasound, Dr. Brint said. He said he uses Aqualase in at least 50% of the patients he sees in his practice.

Dr. Brint spoke at the Florence Symposium, the Joint Meeting of Ocular Surgery News, the Italian Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.