New products augment femtosecond laser cataract surgery platform

Updated software improves visualization of ocular structures as well as treatment workflow, and a new interface enables cataract surgery in more eyes.

Two new product offerings are designed to improve the speed, safety and versatility of cataract surgery performed with a specific femtosecond laser.

In October 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted 510(k) clearance for Abbott Medical Optics’ Cataract Operating System 3 (cOS3) and Liquid Optics Interface 12. Both products are designed for use with the Catalys Precision Laser System.

cOS3 software

The cOS3 software package is designed to enhance visualization and intraoperative incision information and make custom modification options easier. High-resolution video streaming images give uninterrupted imaging to ocular structures through the procedure, according to an AMO press release.

Tal Raviv, MD, FACS, a consultant to AMO, talked with Ocular Surgery News about the main advantages of the cOS3 package.

“One of the most important [advantages] is the improved workflow for the surgeon in a very intuitive and logical fashion that is also, in my opinion, faster than the former versions,” Raviv said. “Other features of the cOS3 include the ability to, on the fly, modify the treatment plan.”

After identifying all surfaces of the eye, the cOS3 software uses real-time optical coherence tomography to show different treatment cuts in a sequential manner, Raviv said.

“This allows for a more expeditious, safer and more versatile procedure because we can make changes right there if we need to,” he said.

Raviv noted that the cOS3 package can be used in conjunction with intraoperative aberrometry.

“You can use aberrometry to see whether or not the cut in itself achieved the desired astigmatic correction,” Raviv said. “Sometimes you need to open up the incision. I find that about 50% of the time I do open them and 50% of the time I don’t, based on aberrometry. That’s just my method of doing it.”

The cOS3 system also works with AMO’s WhiteStar Signature phacoemulsification system, which features dual peristaltic and Venturi pumps, Raviv said.

“The way we do the cataract surgery is much more fluid-driven phaco,” he said. “We use very little energy. … I find that it is a great advantage to have, especially in my hands, a Venturi system, primarily to evacuate all of the [lens] pieces and draw them to the tip. [We] don’t need much occlusion because the pieces have been pre-fragmented and we can draw them in with Venturi. That makes it a very efficient and low-energy procedure.”

Liquid Optics Interface 12

The Liquid Optics Interface 12 is designed to enable surgeons to perform laser cataract surgery in patients with smaller eyes, according to AMO.

The new interface has a smaller suction ring diameter than the existing Liquid Optics Interface, increasing the number of candidates for laser cataract surgery. Both versions of the Liquid Optics Interface simplify the laser docking process and provide precise imaging and delivery of laser energy, the release said.

“Liquid Optics Interface 12 is a new interface which allows surgeons to dock into a smaller palpebral fissure,” Raviv said. “I believe this will be the patient interface with the smallest outside diameter on the market to date, allowing us to treat even more eyes. We all know that there are a certain subset of eyes whose anatomy may disqualify them under normal situations for the femtosecond laser. Now, with the smaller interface, we’re able to have a larger pool of patients that are eligible to have the procedure.” – by Matt Hasson