Femtosecond-pulse lasers appear promising for cataract surgery

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Femtosecond-pulse lasers similar to those used for LASIK may take over manual incision and phacoemulsification in cataract surgery.

Researchers from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute said that femtosecond laser incisions achieved perfect diameter accuracy in 100% of cases, while only 10% of surgeons' manual cuts were within 0.25 mm error. Investigators compared 60 manual and 60 LenSx femtosecond laser cataract surgeries done at the same center, and found that laser capsulotomy size, shape, and reproducibility were all statistically significantly better than manual capsulotomy.