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Femtosecond and manual cataract surgeries have similar outcomes
Eyes that underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery achieved similar visual and refractive outcomes when compared with eyes that underwent manual cataract surgery.
Researchers compared femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) with manual cataract surgery in a single-center, comparative, retrospective cohort analysis. The percentage of eyes that achieved absolute error of 0.5 D or less was the primary outcome measure. The study included 883 eyes in the manual group and 955 eyes in the FLACS group.
After adjustment for potential confounders, 82.6% of eyes that underwent FLACS achieved an absolute error of 0.5 D or less compared with 78.8% of eyes that underwent manual surgery. Of these eyes, 49.3% in the FLACS group and 46.3% in the manual group achieved an absolute error within 0.25 D.
The study showed 97.1% of eyes in the FLACS group and 97.2% of eyes in the manual group achieved an absolute error of 1 D or less.
There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity in eyes that were targeted for distance.
“We were unable to detect any statistically significant refractive advantage of FLACS over [manual cataract surgery] postoperatively, although the data were trending toward significance in the analysis comparing the proportion of eyes achieving an [absolute error] within 0.5 D,” the study authors said. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: Berk reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.