Femtosecond to replace microkeratome

Dr Gunther Grabner, professor of ophthalmology at the Paracelsus University of Salzburg, conducted a survey on the advantages and limitations of femtosecond lasers, and concluded that they will come to replace microkeratomes fully.

Dr Grabner - who uses the the Intralase (AMO) and the VisuMax (Carl Zeiss Meditec), and has not used microkeratomes for three years - noted the high cost of acquiring and maintaining modern surgical lasers, although the difference between the two machines in operating performance and technical specification, in terms of central wavelength and repetition rate, is not significant.

Femtosecond lasers also offer selectable cutting depth and are computer controlled; treatment times, spot size and surface quality were similar for all the femtoseconds Dr Grabner assessed, although IOP increases varied.

In future, Dr Grabner believes that, to truly rival the microkeratome, femtosecond lasers must evolve to offer a wider range of cuts for PKP and LKP, channels, along with pockets and options for astigmatic KT.

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