This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Femtosecond laser significantly reduces ultrasound in phaco
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
NEW ORLEANS — Femtosecond laser pretreatment significantly reduced the need for ultrasound in lens fragmentation before phacoemulsification, a speaker told colleagues here.
“We are very close to our final goal to treat all patients without ultrasound ,” Tim Schultz, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. “Our analysis shows many new possibilities for new techniques.”
Schultz presented for H. Burkhard Dick, MD, who was unable to attend.
The prospective clinical trial included 2,400 cases treated with femtosecond laser pretreatment or manual lens fragmentation; 1,000 eyes underwent manual lens fragmentation, and 1,400 eyes underwent laser pretreatment with the Catalys femtosecond laser (AMO). The Stellaris (Bausch + Lomb) was used to perform phacoemulsification.
Inclusion criteria were cataracts graded 1 to 4 on the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III), pupil size larger than 6 mm and age older than 22 years.
Results showed that 90% of LOCS III grade 2 cases, 66% of grade 3 cases and 63% of grade 4 cases were treated without ultrasound. Overall, 70% of patients were treated without ultrasound, Schultz said.
After ultrasound settings, phaco tip, grid size and other settings were changed and repetition rates were increased, 100% of grade 2 cases, 98% of grade 3 cases and 87% of grade 4 cases were treated without ultrasound. Overall, 95% of patients were treated without ultrasound.
Effective phacoemulsification time was reduced by 99%, Schultz said.
Disclosure: Schultz is a consultant for OptiMedica. Dick is a consultant for Bausch + Lomb and OptiMedica.