How femtoemulsification of cataracts differs from phacoemulsification
Femtoemulsification cataract is a procedure to remove it using a femtosecond laser ( Femtosecond Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery, FLACS). The femtosecond laser was introduced into clinical eye surgery in 2001, and the first cataract removal procedure using it was performed in Poland in 2012.
Initially, the femtosecond laser was used only for refractive surgery and corneal implants (FEMTO LDV Z2, Z4 and Z6 systems), but it is now also used for more demanding procedures, among which cataract removal surgery has just been included (FEMTO LDV Z8 system).
FEMTO LDV lasers are distinguished by the highest pulse repetition rate of all those available on the market – the speed at which the laser light is released here (10-15 seconds, or about 250-800 femtoseconds – hence the name of the technology) eliminates the risk of damage to the incision area.
It also allows the use of low energy with precise overlapping of successive laser spots (overlapping). The compact design, combined with light weight and dimensions, allows full mobility and operation in rooms with different humidity and air temperature.
FLACS(Femtosecond Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery) –cataract removal with femtosecond laser.
Cataract femtoemulsification differs from phacoemulsification – a method considered the gold standard of treatment and involving the removal of a cataract using an ultrasonic tip and implantation of an artificial intraocular lens – in that instead of using manual surgical instruments to get into the lens of the eye and safely remove it, the surgeon uses a high-precision femtosecond laser.
The method involves making micro-incisions (called ports) in the cornea and removing the cloudy lens through them and then inserting a new artificial intraocular lens.
The major advantages of using the FEMTO LDV Z8 system include:
- exceptional gentleness and safety due to the use of low pulse energy
- A more precise stage of capsulorhexis, or lens opening
- easier process of placing the intraocular artificial lens inside the eye
- No complications associated with mechanical corneal incisions
- less trauma to corneal endothelial cells
- Reduce the risk of postoperative astigmatism
- faster healing process
- faster improvement in visual acuity
- better centration of the artificial lens
FEMTO LDV lasers work with a precision previously unknown in ophthalmology: the capsulorhexis here can be performed exactly where the surgeon wants it. Surgery with the femtosecond laser can be compared to robotic surgery – much of it is done automatically, without the involvement of the surgeon, who is left only to remove fragments of the nucleus and implant an artificial lens.
About 3,000 are performed in Poland. cataract surgeries, per million inhabitants, and femtoemulsification is used less frequently than phacoemulsification. The femtosecond laser is steadily gaining supporters because it offers the chance for safer and more accurate procedures, the results of which please patients and satisfy ophthalmologists. The superior precision of the FEMTO LDV Z8 laser makes it possible to achieve excellent eye surgery results in a way that is completely safe and painless for patients, and the good results of the procedures can be seen no matter how advanced the cataract stage is.
