Article
Results of a study comparing fellow eyes undergoing femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy versus manual continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis show that the laser's initial advantage for predictably creating precisely sized and circular capsular openings is maintained during follow-up to 1 month after the procedure.
The study used a proprietary computer-controlled femtosecond laser (Catalys, OptiMedica) and included 29 patients. Digital analysis of high-definition video microscopy images of the extracted capsular discs and capsular opening was used to determine the circular regularity and size of the capsular opening immediately after surgery and at follow-up visits through 1 year. The diameter of the capsular opening was determined using the known diameter of the implanted IOL as a reference. All eyes had the same single-piece, acrylic, square-edged IOL (AcrySof IQ, Alcon Laboratories) implanted.
More predictable
"The early results from this study indicate that the precision benefits achieved initially from use of the femtosecond laser are not overwhelmed postoperatively by the biologic and IOL-related variables," he said.
Dr. Vukich added that in using the femtosecond laser to achieve better surgical outcomes, one area of interest is to take advantage of its predictable performance to determine what size capsular opening might be associated with the best control over IOL position after healing.