A comparison of subjective patient discomfort during femtosecond laser-assisted and conventional cataract surgery

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: FLACS & Surgical Devices

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 1

First Author: : T.Patel UK

Co Author(s): :    C. Gunasekera   U. Hussain   R. Aggarwal   H. Kasaby              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To investigate and compare the subjective patient experience and reported discomfort in femtosecond laser-assisted and conventional approach cataract surgery.

Setting:

Department of Ophthalmology, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. BMI Southend Hospital, Essex.

Methods:

Twenty consecutive patients undergoing conventional cataract surgery and twenty consecutive patients undergoing FLACS from a single centre were included in the study. All surgery was performed by two senior surgeons using topical and intracameral anaesthetic.The system used for the laser-assisted group was the B&L VICTUS femtosecond laser platform. Patients were excluded from the study if they had additional procedures at the time of cataract surgery; were unsuitable for surgery under topical anaesthesia or were unsuitable for surgery using the femtosecond laser system. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing aspects of any discomfort experienced during surgery immediately post-operatively.

Results:

Patients from both groups reported little discomfort during their cataract surgery. Direct comparison of subjective discomfort scores showed no meaningful difference between patients undergoing femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery and conventional cataract surgery. All patients who had femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery in one eye and laser-assisted for their fellow eye reported that their preferred experience was the femtosecond assisted procedure. Patients who had femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery reported more discomfort during phacoemulsification than they did during docking of the applanation system or creation of incisions using the femtosecond laser platform.

Conclusions:

Patients undergoing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery do not report additional discomfort compared with conventional approach cataract surgery. Patient perception of laser-assisted surgery may affect their subjective surgical experience. Patients may have a tendency to associate laser-assisted surgery with enhanced surgical care and this may affect their subjective perception of per-operative discomfort.

Financial Disclosure:

... research is funded, fully or partially, by a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented