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Femtosecond cataract surgery causes less capsular bag shrinkage than standard surgery
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NEW ORLEANS — There was significantly less capsular bag shrinkage up to 12 weeks after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery compared with standard cataract surgery, according to a poster presentation here.
The prospective, randomized trial included 106 eyes of 53 patients who underwent either standard cataract surgery or laser cataract surgery with the Catalys (OptiMedica). Postoperative capsular bag diameter was the primary outcome measure. A capsular measuring ring was implanted in all eyes after anterior capsulotomy of 5 mm, the poster said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Intraoperatively, capsular bag diameter was 10.5 mm in both groups. Median capsular bag diameter at week 12 was 9.8 mm in the laser group and 9.4 mm in the standard group (P < .0005).
“We saw less capsular bag shrinkage after femtosecond laser treatment compared to normal cataract surgery,” Tim Schultz, MD, the presenting author of the study, said in an interview with Ocular Surgery News. “We think this is very important data because when we think about the difference between femtosecond laser surgery and normal cataract surgery, looking at effective lens position, it’s not just assuming there’s a difference. We know there’s a small difference of 0.3 mm in mean. The real take-home message is that you can adjust your numbers to this, which you need for really good study to show the difference in effective lens position.”
Disclosure: Schultz is a consultant for OptiMedica.