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FLACS, conventional phaco yield similar outcomes
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A study comparing conventional phacoemulsification surgery and femtosecond laser-assisted surgery found a significant reduction in posterior capsule rupture in the FLACS group and no other significant differences between the two techniques.
Four hundred eyes of 400 patients were included in the study; results for 170 eyes in the FLACS group and 171 eyes in the conventional group were reported at 1 month postoperatively. Mean uncorrected distance visual acuity in both groups was the same: 0.15 logMAR.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest [randomized controlled trial] published to date, comparing the safety and effectiveness of femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery versus CPS,” the authors wrote.
The Alcon LenSx platform was used to perform capsulotomy and lens fragmentation in the FLACS group, then patients were transferred to the operating theater for cataract extraction with the Alcon Infiniti gravity-fluidics torsional phacoemulsification machine.
The favorable finding of FLACS with regard to rate of posterior capsule ruptures was barely statistically significant (P < .03), the authors said: “One more posterior capsule rupture in the femtosecond laser–assisted group or one less in the CPS group would have rendered this result not statistically significant.”
A statistical difference favoring conventional surgery was also found in patient reported EQ-5D visual analogue score; however, the authors determined the finding was likely a statistical error.
No statistical differences were reported in the other parameters measured, including mean pinhole vision acuity, mean change in IOP, mean phacoemulsification energy, mean change in central corneal thickness, mean endothelial cell loss, mean change in central foveal thickness, mean spherical equivalent measurements and other patient reported outcomes. – by Patricia Nale, ELS
Disclosures: Roberts reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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