title: Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery--current status and future directions.
abstract: Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) putatively offers several advantages over conventional phacoemulsification. We review the current status of FLACS and discuss the evolution of femtosecond lasers in cataract surgery and the currently available femtosecond laser platforms. We summarize the outcomes of FLACS for corneal wound creation, limbal relaxing incisions, capsulotomy, and lens fragmentation. We discuss surgical planning, preoperative considerations, clinical experiences including the learning curve and postoperative outcomes with FLACS, and also the cost effectiveness of FLACS. We present the intraoperative complications and management of challenging cases where FLACS offers an advantage and also speculate on the future directions with FLACS. Further advancements in laser technology to refine its efficacy, advancement in intraocular lens design to harness the potential benefits of FLACS, and a reduction in cost are needed to establish a clear superiority over conventional phacoemulsification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Dilraj S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Grewal
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ruhr University Eye Clinic, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: sbasti@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Surendra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basti
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ruhr University Eye Clinic, Bochum, Germany. Electronic address: burkhard.dick@kk-bochum.de.
authors.forename: H Burkhard
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Dick
mesh_terms: D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D014792:Visual Acuity
keywords: cataract; femtosecond; femtosecond cataract; femtosecond cataract surgery; femtosecond laser cataract surgery; femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery; laser cataract; laser cataract surgery; laser-assisted cataract surgery