This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Phaco alternative liquefies cataracts
NEW ORLEANS — A technology that uses rapidly pulsed fluid to liquefy cataracts shows promise as an alternative to phacoemulsification, according to results from a study.
AquaLase, a cataract liquefracture device in development by Alcon, delivers small bursts of warmed fluid to the cataract at up to 100 pulses/sec. The impact of the fluid on the lens causes softening, erosion and subsequent liquefaction of the cataract, said Donald Serafano, MD, who spoke about the device here during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
While the technique is still evolving, Dr. Serafano indicated AquaLase can be used with either the chop or divide and conquer methods. "The parameters of vacuum and aspiration flow rate remain the same as or similar to those for ultrasound phaco with the Alcon Legacy," he said.
The AquaLase irrigation fluid is ejected in tiny pulses from the tip and dispersed away from the irrigation-aspiration tip to protect sensitive areas such as the capsule, according to information from Alcon.
AquaLase received a class 2, 510(k) premarket notification from the Food and Drug Administration in May 1998. Clinical evaluations are ongoing in the United Stated and the device is not yet commercially available.
More information about the device and its mechanisms of action can be found in the print version of the Jan. 1 issue of Ocular Surgery News.