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O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
SAFER OPTION
Phaco-Free Cataract Surgery
M
ing Wang, MD, PhD, calls phacoemulsification energy
ADDED BONUS Ming Wang, MD, PhD, developed a laser technique that eliminates risks
associated with phacoemulsification energy.
cataract surgery's necessary
Ming Wang, MD, PhD
evil. "It's an essential element of small-incision surgery, but it's also the chief culprit of
the technique's common complications."
Including, he says, breaking the capsular
bag through the horizontal or vertical movements of the sharp phaco tip and corneal edema, inflation caused by the ultrasonic
energy, that can result in long-term cornea failure and needed transplantation.
That's why the director of Wang Vision 3D Cataract and LASIK Center in Nashville,
Tenn., bumped conventional femtosecond laser cataract surgery up a notch, using
the laser to fragment diseased lenses in intact eyes without damaging the cornea.
In the OR, surgeons typically fully open incisions started by the laser, then use
phaco energy to fragment and extract the cataract. With Dr. Wang's technique,
patients enter the OR with the lens already fragmented. He floats the fragmented
lens into the anterior chamber, manually chops it into smaller pieces and inserts the
phaco tip. Instead of activating its energy, however, he sets it to aspirate the lens
pieces out of the eye.
Dr. Wang says the technique completely eliminates complications associated with
the use of phaco energy and shortens time spent in the open eye, which further
enhances the procedure's safety.
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— Daniel Cook
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 | N O V E M B E R 2012
