Abstract
Purpose:
Femtosecond assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is new technology. It is thought to reduce the phacoemulsification time during cataract surgery and thus reduce the formation of free radicals and their damage to the corneal endothelium. Other advantages may be fewer capsular tears, less intraocular lens decentration and tilt, resulting in fewer complications and better prediction of uncorrected visual acuity. There is no study published which addresses the question of what percentage of patients are actually candidates for this surgery. Current studies of FLACS restrict their patients to, moderately advanced cataracts, large pupil size, and clear corneas. The people of Saudi Arabia are subjected to high amounts of oxidative stress through extreme ultraviolet exposure. They may have more dense cataracts and smaller pupils. This study is designed to determine the percentage of patients entering the operating room at a tertiary care hospital in the Middle East for cataract surgery that are candidates for FLACS.
Methods:
This is a noninterventional prospective cross-sectional study. All patients arriving for cataract surgery at the King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) were evaluated for, pupil size after dilation, corneal opacity, lens opacity and presence of posterior synechiae causing pupillary irregularity. Pupil size was evaluated by caliper. Presence or absence of corneal opacity, and irregular pupil were determined by portable bio-microscopy. Cataracts were graded by the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCSIII). Corneal opacities were divided into central and peripheral categories. They were graded according to our scale, which will be presented.
Results:
The Total number of patents evaluated was 110. 54 were not candidates. This comprised 49.1% of evaluated patents were not suitable for FLACS
Conclusions:
(FLACS) has limited application for cataract surgery at a tertiary referral center in Middle East