Open AccessThe Latest Evidence with Regards to Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery and Its Use Post 2020
Author(s) -
Lewis Levitz,
H. Burkhard Dick,
Wendell J. Scott,
Chris Hodge,
Joseph Reich
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1177-5483
pISSN - 1177-5467
DOI - 10.2147/opth.s306550
Subject(s) - medicine , cataract surgery , ophthalmology , femtosecond , optometry , laser , optics , physics
Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) was introduced with the hope of making cataract surgery safer and making the refractive result more predictable. It is only in the last four years that level 1 prospective randomised controlled trials (RCT) using current technology have been published. These, along with a meta-analysis of recent studies have shown that there seems to be little long-term visual benefit when using FLACS with monofocal lenses. The promised decrease in ultrasound energy required to remove a cataract has not been consistently demonstrated. There is level one evidence that the rate of posterior capsular rupture is less with FLACS using modern software. The round capsulotomy may be of increasing importance with the uptake of toric, multifocal and extended depth of focus lenses where a predictable capsulotomy size and precise placement of the lens becomes more important.