The most recent advancement in cataract surgery is the use of a femtosecond-laser to assist in the cataract surgery. This is called Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS).
To understand what FLACS is, you first need to understand the 3 essential steps of cataract surgery:
- Create a 2mm incisional wound for the insertion of instruments
- Create an opening at the top of the capsule or bag which holds the lens
- Use phacoemulsification energy to break up the lens
Normally, these steps are performed manually in standard phacoemulsification, however with the advent of femtosecond laser, these steps can be aided with the use of laser energy instead. This allows for the wound opening and capsule opening to be done more precisely.
In the last few years, many large studies have been done to compare the success rates between the standard phacoemulsification and the FLACS and the results have been unanimous. There is NO significant difference in visual outcome and success rates between either method.
In the light of those findings, many surgeons see no benefit at this point in time in opting for FLACS which turns out to be more costly and yet NOT more beneficial to the patient.
As there are pros and cons of each method, the ultimate choice between the two methods is still debatable and largely dependent on the surgeon after assessment of the patient’s eye condition.
