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S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT 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 | M O N T H 2 0 1 4
laser portion of the procedure.
Cycling patients through the laser
treatment might add several minutes
to overall procedure times, so high-
volume surgeons might opt against
using the laser.
We do at least 300 cataracts a month
in 4 ORs, and have 2 systems located
in a separate room, so using the laser
doesn't slow patient flow. That's a crucial setup in order to maintain case efficien-
cies — surgeons whose primary focus is manual surgery, and who only perform
the occasional laser case, aren't slowed by laser procedures performed in the OR.
In the laser room, surgeons place a cone-like attachment on top of the
patient's cornea to perform the capsulorhexis, the lens softening, the arcuate
incisions for astigmatism and the incisions to enter the eye in the OR — all in a
non-sterile field. Patients are then moved to the OR for lens removal with pha-
coemulsification and implantation of the new IOL.
Does laser cataract surgery result in better outcomes? That depends on whom
you ask. Some surgeons swear by the blade and question switching from one of
the safest and most predictable procedures in all of surgery to a technology that
adds cost without delivering significantly better outcomes.
On the other hand, proponents of the laser say creating predictable cuts leads
to improved IOL placement — making consistent capsulorhexes is more predic-
tive of the proper position of the lens implant in the eye — for precise post-op
vision outcomes with less astigmatism. That point is controversial, but there is
some data that show it might be true.
In addition, the laser makes precise corneal incisions to solve pre-existing
astigmatism. I've been really impressed with how much more accurately the
laser lets surgeons correct astigmatism compared with what can be done by
hand with diamond scalpels.
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
Meet MoFe
®
Mobile Femtosecond Lasers
for Cataract Surgery
Only Sightpath Medical™ delivers a mobile
solution for laser assisted cataract surgery,
along with everything else you need to
make your case day a success.
Visit www.SightpathMedical.com/OS for more information or call 888.975.5526
Rides on air
Handled with care
Safe and secure
BOTTOM LINE It has to make financial sense to
dedicate
space in your facility for laser proce-
dures.
James
Salz,
MD
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