Technological requirements for adaptation

Article

Is it possible to adapt current femtosecond lasers to perform cataract surgery?

"There are five femtosecond laser systems on the market that perform their job pretty well in corneal surgery. They are femtosecond lasers, their interaction is based on photodisprution and they cut the cornea," he continued. "Recently we have had another group of femtosecond lasers become available that also perform photodisruption of the eye, however, these do not do it on the cornea but on the lens."

Looking into these systems further and trying to answer the question of adaptability, Prof. Lubatschowski examined the technological similarities and differences of the lasers.

"A similarity between these lasers is the photodisruption process," Prof. Lubatschowski said. Both use femtosecond pulse duration for this process, which is beneficial for precision - short pulses allow for higher precision. Using these femtosecond pulses in the range of nanoJoule to microJoule energy allows the lasers to reach the intensity threshold required to disrupt the relevant tissue without too large cavitation bubbles being formed and with much more control.

Additionally, the wavelength of the lasers are the same. "1000 nm is at least the cheapest wavelength available to produce femtosecond pulses and that's why all these lasers have wavelengths in that range, which is capable of penetrating the eye," he added.

Application of the lasers is a further similarity, with both requiring eye fixation and the patient-laser interface either being matched by moving the patient bed or the laser mirror arm of the system.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.