Differences in keratometric and aberrometric corneal parameters after cataract surgery with incisions performed manually or with femtosecond laser

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session 15: Cataract Surgery Outcomes 3

Session Date/Time: Monday 15/09/2014 | 09:30-11:00

Paper Time: 10:00

Venue: Pod 3 (Poster Village)

First Author: : J.Rodríguez-Prats SPAIN

Co Author(s): :    P. Taña   J. Muñoz   M. Camiña   M. Ramos     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To compare differences in keratometric and aberrometric parameters of the anterior corneal surface after femtosecond laser-guided cataract surgery between patients in whom incisions were made manually or with the femtosecond laser.

Setting:

Oftalvist Ophthalmology Clinic, Alicante, Spain. Oftalvist Group.

Methods:

Eighty-four patients undergoing femtosecond laser cataract surgery participated in this study. Patients were assigned to two groups, depending on incisions performed: femtosecond laser or manual. All patients followed the same surgical protocol, with the exception of the incisions. In the femtosecond laser incision group, 96 eyes from 56 patients, 28 men and 28 women, with a mean age of 65.51 ± 9.79 years, were included. In the manual incision group, 47 eyes from 28 patients, 22 women and 6 men, with a mean age of 65.63 ± 9.77 years, were included. The study was performed in accordance with the guidelines and principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All subjects were over 18 years of age and signed informed consent. Corneal astigmatism and keratometric radii, 4th order spherical aberration, horizontal and vertical coma and trefoil were evaluated before surgery and one month after the procedure.

Results:

65.6% of the patients in the femtosecond laser incision group and 61% in the manual incision group had induced corneal astigmatism of less than 0.25 diopters. Only 5.2% of the patients in the femtosecond incision group had induced astigmatism of greater than 0.5 diopters, compared to 8.6% of the patients with manual incisions. When pre and post-operative values were compared, statistically significant direct correlations were found for all variables analyzed (p < 0.05), with the exception of horizontal coma, both in the femtosecond laser incision group and in the manual incision group. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between corneal astigmatism and flat K in the manual incision group before and after the procedure (p < 0.05). In contrast, there were no significant changes for any of the keratometric or aberrometric parameters evaluated in the femtosecond laser incision group.

Conclusions:

Both manual incisions and incisions performed with femtosecond laser during cataract surgery induce similar non-significant topographic and aberrometric changes in the anterior corneal surface. The only differences were found in corneal astigmatism, where a better performance was noted in the femtosecond laser group, probably due to greater precision in the size and position of the incision.

Financial Interest:

NONE