This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Femtosecond phaco found to enhance vision over traditional procedure
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
SEATTLE – In a study of 62 patients receiving various premium IOLs, a femtosecond phaco technique resulted in better visual acuity than conventional phaco, according to a presenter here at the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology meeting, held prior to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry.
Loretta Ng, OD, told attendees that her practice performed a retrospective evaluation of 32 patients for which the LenSx system (Alcon) was used and 30 patients for whom traditional phaco was used.
“We only selected patients who had a premium IOL,” Ng said. “This is the group we’re aiming this technology at.”
Patients in this study received Acrysof Toric (Alcon), ReStor (Alcon) or Tecnis (AMO) multifocal IOLs.
Patients were evaluated 6 months prior to the practice acquiring the LenSx system and 6 months after, Ng said.
“The surgeon had 6 months to refine her technique,” she said.
The study evaluated one eye per patient in only those patients whose target goal was plano.
“We excluded any macular or corneal conditions or prior corneal surgery,” Ng said.
Patients had identical demographics.
“At 1 month, both manifest refraction and Snellen acuity were significantly better in the laser group vs. conventional,” Ng said.
The conventional group saw 20/30 and the laser group saw 20/20 and 20/25, she said.
“This is a refractive group of patients,” Ng said. “They have the personality of LASIK patients, where 20/30 is not a good outcome for refractive surgery. More than twice as many patients achieved 20/20 and 20/25 with laser vs. the conventional group. Basically everyone was 20/25 or better at 1 month with laser.
“We also looked deeper into the data,” she continued. “The toric subgroup was driving the main difference in visual acuity between the laser and conventional group, due to more precise limbal relaxing incisions.”
Ng concluded: “Femtophaco makes mediocre surgeons good, good surgeons better, excellent surgeons exceptional.”
Disclosure: Ng has no financial interests to disclose.