AAO 2025: An early adopter of the LEOS system explains its benefits in the operating room

At the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2025 annual meeting, Sahar Bedrood, MD shared her early experience with the LEOS endoscopic laser system. She highlighted the system's superior visualization capabilities, allowing precise targeting of the ciliary body with unprecedented anatomical detail. The single-use handpieces and user-friendly design represent significant improvements over previous laser systems. Bedrood's insights reveal potential benefits in surgical precision, patient outcomes, and operating room efficiency, suggesting the LEOS system could be a transformative tool in ophthalmic procedures.

Note: The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Ophthalmology Times Europe: From your clinical experience, how does the LEOS Endoscopy Ophthalmic System enhance visualization and precision when targeting the ciliary body compared with traditional glaucoma laser procedures?

Bedrood: I've had the opportunity to be an early user for the LEOS endoscopic laser, and I have noticed a tremendous difference in the visualization of the ciliary body upon entry, right away you can see that you can very clearly see all the anatomy. You can even see all the lumps and bumps of the ciliary body, down to really, really minutia detail, which is really incredible. That kind of view allows me to target the tissue better, more precisely, and perhaps even use a little bit less energy than before, because I can see it better. All of the hand pieces are single use, so there is no more of that crud that builds up on the end of that scope, which we have all experienced, if we've done ECP in the past. So essentially, really have this, like, very clear view, very efficient way to see what I need to see, laser it, and then get out of the eye.

OTE: What have you observed regarding patient outcomes and recovery across different glaucoma types and stages treated with this inflow-focused approach?

Bedrood: Anecdotally since I've used it on a number of patients, I have noticed that the patients have done really well afterwards. I have not noticed any significant inflammation that would cause me to worry. These patients' pressures have lowered. They're not inflamed as much in the eye. I can't say I can compare it to the previous system, because I haven't done a study like that, but I have done one where I used the older laser, and then I used the LEOS system on the same person, and the 2 eyes were a little bit different. And again that was an interesting outcome for me to see. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the future and perhaps doing some more clinical trials to actually, like, really identify if there's a difference.

OTE: How has the Leos system impacted your surgical workflow and team efficiency in the operating room, and what feedback have you received from staff and patients?

Bedrood: The LEOS system has really changed in the way that the technicians can use it. In the past, the older system was very difficult to use. You usually had one technician in your whole surgery center that was able to know how to use it. And this is completely different. It is literally 1 button. You turn it on, 1 click, and it's a really clear view. It's very mobile, and the footprint is small in the operating room, so it's not a tremendous task, which is really important, because as you're trying to get through cases and you're setting up for other cases, you want something that's easy to set up. Our OR staff certainly appreciate it, and I certainly do as well. Overall, the LEOS system allows for me to visualize the ciliary body, do very precise laser to it, and also do it in a way that's efficient for my OR setting and not so cumbersome as it has been in the past.