Laser-assisted capsulotomy results better than CCC

Femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy resulted in better circularity and more predictable size compared with standard manual continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) in a prospective, randomized clinical study by researchers in Italy. They also found that IOL centration was better immediately following surgery and over time for patients who underwent femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy. The results are published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.

Candidates for cataract extraction were randomly assigned into 1 of 3 groups, each with 30 eyes of 30 patients:

• Laser group 1 underwent femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery capsulotomy performed with a proprietary laser (LenSx, Alcon),

• Laser group 2 had femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery capsulotomy performed with a proprietary laser (Lensar Laser System, Lensar Inc.), and

• The manual group underwent manual CCC.

After 7 days, the capsulotomies in both laser groups showed significantly better circularity than did those the CCCs of the manual group. The two laser groups also showed a significant correlation between the intended versus achieved capsulotomy size as well as better IOL centration than the manual group at all timepoints.

Distance visual acuity, both corrected and uncorrected, was not different in a statistically significant way between groups. Residual spherical equivalent and mean absolute error, however, were statistically significantly smaller in the laser groups than in the manual group, and they increased significantly over time in all the groups.