Effectiveness of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in patients over 50 years of age in a private ophthalmology clinic in the city of Rosario, year 2022

Abstract

Introduction: Cataract surgery is the most effective treatment to restore vision in those patients whose vision is significantly affected by lens opacity. This procedure has proven to be safe and effective, which has led to a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients who undergo this surgical intervention.Objective: To determine the effectiveness of such femtosecond laser-assisted surgery in patients over 50 years of age seen at the private ophthalmology clinic in the year 2022.Materials and methods: Quantitative observational study, with a descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective design, carried out in a private ophthalmology clinic, during the period between May and June 2023. The population consisted of patients over 50 years of age, regardless of sex. The sample was non-probabilistic by convenience. Data collection was carried out through the review of the patients' medical records, obtained from the clinic's database. The data collected were entered into an Excel spreadsheet for subsequent analysis with Jamovi statistical software. Qualitative variables were expressed using frequency tables and pie charts or bar graphs, as appropriate. The Student's t test was used to compare quantitative variables with symmetrical or Gaussian distribution. Histograms and box plots were used to represent the distribution of quantitative variables.Results: Twenty-six patients were evaluated, their mean age was 69 years. Fifty percent of the operated eyes presented visual acuity less than or equal to 0.4 before surgery, while after surgery 50% of the operated eyes showed visual acuity above 0.9. It was observed that post-surgery 84.6% of the operated eyes increased visual acuity by up to 6 tenths and 15.4% increased visual acuity by at least 7 tenths. Twenty-five percent of the operated eyes decreased the number of endothelial cells post surgery by up to 2.33%, while there were 10% of operated eyes that showed no reduction of endothelial cells post surgery. No complications were identified in any of the femtosecond laser-assisted surgeries performed.Conclusions: It could be inferred that this femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is effective, reproducible and safe