Five year outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted simple and complex cataract cases in an academic institution

Session Details

Session Title: Femtolaser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS) I

Session Date/Time: Sunday 08/10/2017 | 08:00-10:00

Paper Time: 08:24

Venue: Room 3.6

First Author: : A.Arteaga USA

Co Author(s): :    M. Cortina   J. De la Cruz                 

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Evaluate visual outcomes and complications of patients that underwent femtosecond-assisted cataract extraction.

Setting:

Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, IL. USA

Methods:

Chart reviewed of 302 eyes that underwent femtosecond-assisted cataract extraction performed by residents and fellows from 2012 to 2017. Patients were grouped into 2 categories, the first one included patients without other pathology, simple-cases group. The second category included patients cataracts complicated by other pathologies (ie. Fuch’s dystrophy, history of cornea surgeries, compromised zonula), this group was the complex-cases group. All patients included had at least 1-month follow-up after the surgery. Visual Acuity (VA), spherical equivalent (SE) pre and postoperative and complications within surgery as well as laser complications were measured and reported.

Results:

We included 233 and 69 eyes in the simple-cases group and complex-cases group respectively. Global analysis showed mean preoperative VA of logMAR 0.41 (SD 0.4). Preoperative VA for the simple-group was logMAR 0.3 (SD0.2) and logMAR 0.742 (SD 0.79) in the complex-group. Postoperative global best corrected VA at 1 month follow-up was logMAR 0.12 (SD0.26) and logMAR 0.10 (SD 0.18) for 1-year follow-up. Successful docking was possible in 94.7% of cases. Complications were present in 8 cases (3.63%), 5 in the complex-group and 3 in the simple-group, all of them were posterior capsule rupture and none induced by the laser.

Conclusions:

Femtosecond-assisted cataract extraction performed by surgeons in training is a safe procedure in which the global complication rate and visual outcomes are excellent, showing that the incorporation of this technology into residency programs is a valuable and important key to the training process.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE