Femtosecond versus standard phaco

Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery has received a tremendous amount of attention over the past few years, but ophthalmologists seem to want more information and data comparisons with standard cataract surgery before considering a switch in their own practice. The many variables involved in such a comparison make it difficult to come to a conclusion.

One such variable is the patient him- or herself. Dr. Ina Conrad-Hengerer and her team at the Ruhr University Eye Clinic in Bochum, Germany, sought to eliminate this variable.

“We designed a prospective, randomized intraindividual cohort study in which each of 100 patients were treated using the femtosecond laser in one eye and pulsed ultrasound energy in the fellow eye,” said Dr. Conrad-Hengerer. Patients were followed up for 6 months postoperatively.