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Femtosecond incisions beneficial in treating corneal astigmatism

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WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Becoming familiar with femtosecond laser incisions, as well as manual incisions, is important to achieve better refractive outcomes in refractive cataract patients, Preeya K. Gupta, MD, told colleagues at Hawaiian Eye 2019.

“Astigmatism management at the time of cataract surgery is really essential to providing that high quality of uncorrected vision,” she said.

While manual limbal relaxing incisions have been the main astigmatism management tool used, there are benefits to using a femtosecond laser in some cases.

Placed at the 9-mm optical zone at 80% depth, laser incisions are more precise and unlikely to perforate, while also being more continuous and giving surgeons the ability to titrate the incision.

“Certainly, I would like to think that I make a perfect freehand incision, but it never is as perfectly continuous as the laser,” Gupta said.

While one technique is not necessarily better than the other, Gupta finds the femtosecond laser increases efficiency.

“It’s more predictable in my own hands, and I actually think about treating astigmatism in many more patients when I’m doing that,” she said. “Manual LRIs and femto AKs are both excellent options for astigmatism correction.” – by Rebecca L. Forand

Reference:

Gupta PK. Manual vs. femto arcuate incisions: Which is better? Presented at: Hawaiian Eye; Jan. 19-25, 2019; Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Disclosure: Gupta reports she is a consultant to Aurea, Kala, TearScience, Shire, Allergan, Bio-Tissue, NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Alcon, TearLab, Ocular Science and Zeiss.