First Author: E.Mertens BELGIUM
Co Author(s): P. Schraepen
Purpose:
To review the applications that a femtosecond laser workstation can be used for, as well as the clinical results for these applications.
Setting:
: Medipolis Eye Center, Antwerp, Belgium.
Methods:
The femtosecond laser (Bausch+Lomb/Technolas PerfectVision, Munich, Germany) is a diode-pumped, solid state laser (DPSSL) with a pulse duration ~ of 500 fs and a wavelength of ~ 1?m. Depending on the procedure, the laser has a pulse frequency of up to 320 kHz and with a maximum pulse energy from sub-microjoules to approximately 10 microjoules. The laser is capable of performing the key steps in the cataract surgery procedure (lens emulsification, capsulotomy and corneal incision), an instromal procedure for presbyopia, LASIK flaps, corneal procedures penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and lamellar keratoplasty (LKP), femtosecond-laser assisted endothelial keratoplasty (FLEK), tunnels for corneal ring implantation along with arcuate cuts for astigmatic keratotomy.
Results:
The experience with this femtosecond laser system has demonstrated that it is capable of delivering a wide variety of procedures. The early clinical experience with this new platform for laser refractive cataract surgery has found that the laser produced more predictable capsulotomies than manual, better accuracy and reproducibility of results. The phaco energy may also be reduced when fragmentation is done with the femtosecond laser instead of manually.
Conclusions:
The ability to perform multiple procedures with a single femtosecond laser platform is a benefit, particularly as the laser is capable of delivering predictable results. After performing more than 100 cataract procedures no complications were observed.
Financial Disclosure:
... travel has been funded, fully or partially, by a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented
