Clinical Ophthalmology (Feb 2024)
Update on Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery: A Review
Abstract
Ramiro MPC Salgado,1 Paulo FAAS Torres,2 Antonio AP Marinho3 1Departamento de Oftalmologia do Hospital da Arrábida, Hospital de Santo António, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal; 2Departamento de Oftalmologia do Hospital da Prelada, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; 3Departamento de Oftalmologia do Hospital da Luz Arrábida, Universidade do Porto, Porto, PortugalCorrespondence: Ramiro MPC Salgado, Departamento de Oftalmologia do Hospital da Arrábida, Hospital de Santo António, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto, Praceta Henrique Moreira 150, Vila Nova de Gaia, 4400-346, Portugal, Tel +351 915677244, Fax +351 224003046, Email [email protected]: The advent of femtosecond lasers has resulted in a new standard in cataract surgery, intended to overmatch the paradigm of conventional phacoemulsification. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) enables a higher level of reproducibility, precision, accuracy, and customization when performing several steps of cataract (or lens) surgery. Capsulotomy, corneal incisions, lens fragmentation, and arcuate incisions are the main procedures performed using FLACS. As the demand for better refractive outcomes and spectacle independence increases, the features of FLACS are highly relevant, especially when considering the implantation of premium intraocular lenses, such as toric, enhanced depth-of-focus, or multifocal lenses. The present article reviews the state of the art of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract (lens) surgery, contemplating the advantages and limitations of the two types of femtosecond laser pulses available (high and low energy) by evaluating their reported outcomes and complications.Keywords: femtosecond laser, FLACS, laser-assisted surgery, cataract surgery
