Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate femto-second laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) versus conventional surgery (CS) both carried on the same patient .
Methods:
Cross-sectional multicenter crossover study conducted from May 2012 to June 2013. On the proposal, each patient included into the study received, on the basis of a standardized protocol, FLACS in one eye and CS on the contralateral eye for bilateral cases. Peroperative complications were noted. A satisfaction questionnaire about the patient's experience on these two surgical techniques was realized. A Capsulotomy morphological evaluation is performed by digitizing retroillumination slit lamp photographs and compared to a "optimal-capsulotomy " 7 days, 6 months, and one year after surgery. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) , deviation from the intended spherical equivalent correction, Coma optical aberrations and effective lens position (ELP) are also noted.
Results:
34 patients were included in the study. A statistically significant difference was noted for the FLACS for morphology capsulotomies 6 months and one year after surgery (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed for BCVA, Coma optical aberrations, deviation from the intended spherical equivalent correction, and ELP (p> 0.05). In contrast 93% of patients would not recommend FLACS to a close person, relative to conventional surgery (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Conventional phakoémulsification surgery is currently the gold standard in the treatment of cataract. The results of our study are in accordance with the data of the literature and confirm the safety and effectiveness of the FLACS. Despite its current high cost and logistical issues, the continuous technical improvements in FLACS procedure will probably lead to new approaches in the management of cataract.
Keywords: 445 cataract •
578 laser