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Prospective study shows success of laser astigmatic keratotomy at 6 months
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Ljubljana, SLOVENIA — Femtosecond laser astigmatic arcuate keratotomy showed promising study results, comparable or better than those reported with toric IOLs.
“Published data on toric IOLs show that 48% to 71% of eyes have astigmatism equal or less than 0.5 D at 3 months. We achieved the same result in 63.6% of our AK eyes,” Pavel Stodulka, MD, said at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.
“Approximately 20% of our cataract patients have astigmatism of at least 1.25 D. Femtosecond technology offers a new way of addressing it by incisional techniques during the procedure,” he said.
Pavel Stodulka
In a prospective study, 70 eyes with astigmatism between 1 D and 3 D underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange. The preliminary results of 17 eyes with 6 months of follow-up were presented at the meeting.
Laser AK, with an 8.5-mm optical zone diameter and at 80% of corneal depth, was performed with the Victus femtosecond laser (Bausch + Lomb Technolas) after the laser part of the procedure and opened at the end of surgery using a spatula or Sinskey hook.
Mean cylinder decreased from 1.35 D to –0.38 D, with stable results at 6 months. All eyes were within 1 D of intended correction, and the majority were within 0.5 D at all points of the follow-up. No loss of lines of best corrected visual acuity was reported, and half of the patients gained lines.
“This surgery shows great promise and indeed has the potential to correct astigmatism. No perforation by laser AK or other complication was reported,” Stodulka said.
Disclosure: Stodulka is a consultant to Bausch + Lomb.