5 2 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E A P R I L 2 0 1 5
vision to near-perfection?
The true advantage of the laser will be felt at some point in the next decade
when surgeons can use the technology to not only crack the diseased lens, but
also to separate it into tiny pieces that can be removed with simple aspiration
without the use of any phaco energy.
Current laser platforms lack sufficient energy and focused power for actual
separating of lens tissue, but never doubt the inevitability of evolution. The engi-
neering challenge is on the shoulders of physicists to develop a laser with
enough power to physically separate lenses. They will. It's only a matter of time.
Anyone with an engineering background will know digital is always better
than analog. The power of the laser has already been shown by making manual
A
dding laser cataracts to a caseload of manual proce-
dures involves making minor tweaks to the surgical
schedule and conventional patient flow.
Patients are prepped the same for laser surgery, but must first
undergo the laser portion of the procedure before the manual
removal of the fragmented lens. Surgeons place a cataract-lens-
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Prepping Your Facility for Laser Cataracts
z FAST START Putting the laser in a dedicated
room helps maintain schedule efficiencies.
Ming
Wang,
MD,
PhD
like cone that's attached to the laser on top of
the patient's cornea to start the critical incisions
of cataract surgery. The incisions made with the
laser are stable, meaning patients can sit
upright and walk from the laser platform to the
surgical table — although many facilities choose
to transport them. The second half of the laser
procedure resembles conventional cataract sur-
gery.
According to a review of the technology pub-
lished in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive
Surgery (tinyurl.com/m2nsvhr), you have the
choice of 2 basic setups: placing the laser plat-
form in the operating room or placing it in a
room adjacent to the surgical suite. The best
setup is facility-dependent but, in general, plac-
ing the laser in the operating room maintains
