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O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
schedule. While femtosecond lasers can
reduce or eliminate
the need for blades
and ultrasonic handpieces, some manual
phacoemulsification
may still be necessary, and manual irrigation and aspiration
is required. Many practitioners are performing the laser
and manual stages in 2 different rooms, and some have
assigned the 2 stages to different physicians.
"The perfect staffing model to make laser surgery as efficient as possible has not been established yet," says Dr. Rivera, who notes that
laser use can consequently add to case times. "Not by much, 4 to 5
minutes extra, but it adds up if you're used to a run of 20 cases." As a
result, if you schedule mornings or afternoons full of cataracts, it
would be advisable to note how many are femto cases and adjust
accordingly, he says.
What's next?
Consider the advances that have brought major changes to cataract
surgery in recent decades: phacoemulsification, intraoperative lenses,
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2013
