Abstract
Purpose:
To report the early experience, complications, phacoemulsification time, refractive prediction error, and visual outcomes of cataract surgery with the Catalys femtosecond laser system.
Methods:
The initial 105 eyes undergoing cataract surgery between February 2014 and April 2014 by 4 surgeons were included in this review. All patients had anterior capsulotomy and lens softening performed by the Catalys femtosecond laser prior to phacoemulsification. Some patients also had main wounds, paracentesis ports, and corneal relaxing incisions (CRI) made by the Catalys femtosecond laser. Chart reviews were performed retrospectively to determine complication rates, phacoemulsification time, refractive prediction error, visual outcomes, and overall early experience.
Results:
One hundred five eyes were included in the review, all of which had anterior capsulotomy and lens softening. Ten (10%) had paired CRIs, 45 (43%) had single CRI, 25 (24%) had main wound creation, and one (1%) had paracentesis ports created by the Catalys femtosecond laser. Of the 105 eyes that underwent anterior capusolutomy, one eye (1%) had an anterior capsular tear, one eye (1%) had a posterior capsular tear, and three eyes (3%) had an incomplete capsulorhexis. Of the 25 eyes that had wounds created by the Catalys, five (20%) had to be manually recreated and two (8%) had to be sutured. In 77 (73%) eyes, the phacoemulsification time for the Stellaris averaged 3.2, and for the Infiniti averaged 5.6 in 27 (26%) eyes. In 97 eyes with available manifest refraction at post-op 3 weeks or longer, using the Holladay 1 formula, the refractive prediction error was +0.13 ± 0.55 D (range -1.05 to +3.36 D), the median absolute prediction error was 0.30 D, and 42.3%, 81.4%, 90.7%, and 94.8% of eyes were within 0.25 D, 0.5 D, 0.75 D, and 1.0 D of refractive prediction errors, respectively.
Conclusions:
Cataract surgery with the Catalys femtosecond laser is a safe procedure with few complications. Care should be taken for anterior or posterior capsular tears, incomplete capsulorhexis, or the need to re-create the main wound.