Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Penetrating and Lamellar Keratoplasty

Abstract

The continuous evolution of corneal transplantation has recently demonstrated that the surgical approach based on selective lamellar keratoplasty represents the gold standard for the treatment of corneal disease. The replacement of the diseased corneal layers via anterior lamellar or endothelial keratoplasty clearly gives advantages to patients in terms of safety and outcomes. However, the classical method of penetrating keratoplasty has also recently undergone evolution and refinements. The introduction of femtosecond laser technology to clinical practice, after its wide use for refractive surgical corneal procedures, allowed for a significant refinement in terms of precision and customization of both penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty. The main advantages of using femtosecond lasers are represented by the possibility of performing complex-shaped trephination in both the donor and recipient tissues (for example, top-hat or zig-zag cut profiles) and the great precision of lamellar dissection. However, cut quality and interface smoothness still represent critical points to be improved.

Efficacy of Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Phacoemulsification for Cataract Patients and its Influence on Serum Levels of Inflammatory Factors

“…The femtosecond laser has been confirmed to have the shortest pulse, and could release energy in the quarterthousandth of a second at the soonest, which is very suitable for ophthalmic surgery with the utmost requiring for high accuracy. 7,8 Femtosecond laser could provide the repeatability, safety, and accuracy needed for cataract surgery. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract phacoemulsification is a revolutionary result of cataract surgery in recent years that uses femtosecond laser to replace the traditional scalpels, thus to make key steps such as incision, capsulorhexis and chopping with the aid of computerised imaging system, which were previously completed by manual work in conventional phacoemulsification.…”