Femtosecond Laser in Cataract Surgery

Conventional Method

Current conventional method for cataract surgery involves making a small incision in the cornea, followed by an incision in the front of the capsule of the lens also called a capsulotomy. The procedure opens up the capsule and through an ultrasound probe inserted with high frequency sound energy, the lens is fragmented in situ. This process is called phacoemulsification. The fragments are then aspirated out. The entire process can ocassionally cause damage to other nearby structures and lead to complications of the eye. The lens capsule is kept in place so that an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) can be implanted. Once implanted within the capsule, the IOL restore the vision.

Femtosecond Laser Assisted

The femotosecond laser systems are designed to assist surgeon make more precise cuts in a target area without damaging the surrounding tissues. Femtosecond lasers emit optical pulses of extremely short duration in the domain of femtoseconds as short as one quadrillionth (10⁻¹⁵ s) of a second. These ultra-short pulses are too brief to cause damage to tissues.

Femtosecond laser systems combined with an ocular coherence tomography (OCT) system is able to produce cross-sectional and three-dimensional images of an image of the eye. The laser's high-resolution OCT helps the eye surgeon visualize the cornea and the lens by constructing a 3D image of the cornea, iris, and anterior and posterior capsules with micron-level sensitivity and leading them to perform precise centered shapes and patterns to be cut at predetermined widths and depths into the capsule. The level of precision of the incisions is greater than that achievable by convectional manual means. 

In addition, the femtosecond laser can also perform capsulotomy and lens fragmentation as well as precisely delineate the surgical incisions. Theoretically, if we can make the capsulotomy of a consistent diameter and position then we may have better control over the effective lens position, which in turn could lead to more predictable refractive outcomes.

Femtosecond laser systems can produce perfectly centered and circular capsulorhexis, pre-fragment dense cataracts with minimal collateral damage to corneal endothelium, perfect capsulorhexis in subluxated cataracts without zonular stress. 

Information on this page is provided for interest only on a "best efforts" basis and does not 
constitute personal advice. Always discuss medical conditions and related matters with your doctor.

Ref: http://www.reclaimyourvision.com/cataract/lensx-laser-surgery.shtml