Background: The aim of our study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of the LDV Z8 femtosecond laser in cataract surgery compared to the conventional procedure. Methods: This prospective study was performed at the Swiss Eye Research Foundation, Eye Clinic ORASIS, Reinach, Switzerland. The study included 130 eyes from 130 patients: 68 treated with femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) using the FEMTO LDV Z8 and 62 treated with conventional phacoemulsification. Capsulotomy and lens fragmentation in the laser group were performed with the FEMTO LDV Z8 femtosecond laser system, which employs a new, low-energy, high repetition rate laser process for cataract surgery. In the conventional group, the capsulotomy was performed by a cystotome, and lens fragmentation was achieved by the stop-and-chop. Results: Ease of phacoemulsification (on a 4-point scale), the completeness of capsulotomy (on a 10-point scale), effective phacoemulsification time (seconds), uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (BSCVA), spherical equivalent (SE), and safety of the procedure were evaluated. The total follow-up time was three months. Conclusions: FLACS with the FEMTO LDV Z8 system was characterized by complete and reproducible capsulotomy and highly effective lens fragmentation. Postoperative visual outcomes were excellent, and the safety of the procedure was optimal.

BackgroundThe purpose of this work is to report our experience using the new Z8 laser system for femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and to provide a sample of the performance and safety results using this new technology.MethodsThis prospective observational study was performed at the Swiss Eye Research Foundation, Eye Clinic ORASIS, Reinach, Switzerland. Fourteen patients were subjected to unilateral FLACS. Capsulotomy and lens fragmentation were performed with the aid of the LDV Z8 femtosecond laser system. Ease of phacoemulsification (on a 4-point scale), completeness of capsulotomy (on a 10-point scale), time for preparation of femtosecond laser (minutes), effective phacoemulsification time (seconds), total duration of surgery (minutes), and safety of the procedure were evaluated.ResultsEase of fragmentation and completeness of capsulotomy were estimated at 3.9 and 9.9, respectively. The preparation time for femtosecond was 3.6±0.7 minutes, effective phacoemulsification time was 2.5±3.1 seconds, and total duration of the FLACS procedure was 16.3±4.5 minutes. No major complications were observed. Approximately 42% of all patients (6/14) showed Descemet’s folds directly postoperatively.ConclusionFLACS with the LDV Z8 system was characterized by complete capsulotomy and highly effective and reproducible lens fragmentation. The safety of the procedure was very good as perceived by the surgeon operating in this observational case series. The cost to benefit ratio should be further debated by assessing the results of a major prospective study, which is required for valid evaluation of the efficiency and safety of the LDV Z8 laser system and of FLACS in general.

Both treatments significantly reduced IOP as compared with baseline. Additionally, treatment with dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination seem to be effective in preventing glaucomatous visual field progression. This study has some limitations that should be noted, among them its open-label design.

PurposeTo compare a femtosecond laser with a microkeratome for flap creation during laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in terms of flap thickness predictability and visual outcomes.Patients and methodsThis was a prospective, randomized, masked, paired-eye study. Forty-four patients (34 females) who received bilateral LASIK were included. Patients were stratified by ocular dominance, and they then underwent randomization of flap creation using the femtosecond laser on one eye and undergoing the microkeratome procedure on the other one. The visual outcome differences between the corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) at baseline and the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) on the first day postoperatively were set as the efficiency index for both groups. All visual acuity outcome results and the deviation of flap thickness were evaluated. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsThe index of efficiency regarding the postoperative visual outcomes in the microkeratome group was lower (P<0.0001). This result was correlated with the difference between intended and achieved flap thickness (P=0.038; r=0.28), and a negative relationship in the regression analysis was confirmed (P<0.04; R2=0.1428). The UDVA in the microkeratome group improved significantly by the end of the first month (P<0.0271) in comparison to the baseline CDVA. The deviation between intended and postoperative flap thickness using either optical coherence pachymetry or Heidelberg Retinal Tomography II confocal microscopy was statistically significant (paired t-test; P<0.001) between the groups. The flap thickness deviation in the microkeratome group was higher. In the femtosecond laser group, the efficiency index was stable postoperatively (P=0.64) The UDVA improved significantly by the end of the first postoperative week (P=0.0043) in comparison to the baseline CDVA. Six months after surgery, improvement in the UDVA was significant in both groups (all P<0.001; one way analysis of variance).ConclusionFemtosecond laser was superior to microkeratome-assisted LASIK in terms of flap thickness predictability and the speed of visual acuity recovery. A negative relationship in the regression analysis between increasing flap thickness deviation and visual acuity recovery was confirmed.

Sclerothalamotomy ab interno is a minimally invasive, safe, and efficient surgical technique for lowering the IOP in open-angle and juvenile glaucoma.