Eliminating OVD need via FLACS

Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation can be performed without an ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) by using a femtosecond laser-assisted procedure (FLACS), according to researchers from the Institute for Vision Science, Ruhr University Eye Clinic, Bochum, Germany.

According to the researchers, performing FLACS without OVD poses no additional risk to the corneal endothelium compared with patients whose surgery was performed with standard phacoemulsification using OVD.

Reporting in the Journal of Refractive Surgery, the researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, single-centre trial of 74 eyes in 37 patients diagnosed as having significant cataracts in both eyes.

 In all of the patients, one eye was randomized to receive standard phacoemulsification with OVD. The other eye was treated with a femtosecond laser, and the subsequent manual part of the procedure was performed without using OVD. The patients were followed for 6 months.

The researchers found that among all the eyes, there were no significant differences in:

• major complications (none in either group)

• overall surgery time (non-OVD: 375 ± 81 seconds; OVD: 362 ± 43 seconds)

• the quantity of fluid passing through the eyes (non-OVD: 187 ± 35 mL; OVD: 186 ± 27 mL)

• endothelial cell loss after 6 months (non-OVD: −2.4%; OVD: −2.7%)

• central corneal thickness at 1 week postoperatively (non-OVD: 575 ± 45 µm; OVD: 573 ± 46 µm;)

• corrected distance visual acuity (logMAR non-OVD: 0.024; OVD: 0.038).

The researchers added that at 1 day post-surgery, 1 patient in the non-OVD group experienced intraocular pressure >25 mmHg, compared to 3 patients in the OVD group.

To read the abstract of the study, click here.