Impact of the Femtosecond Laser in Line with the Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS) on the Anterior Chamber Characteristics in Comparison to the Manual Phacoemulsification.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the alterations of the anterior chamber conditions including laser flare photometry after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared to the manual phacoemulsification.


METHODS
Data of n=70 FLACS (mean age 67.2 ± 8.9 years) and n=40 manual phacoemulsification (mean age 69.5 ± 9.6 years) were analyzed. The procedures were performed by LenSx Alcon, USA, and Alcon Infiniti Vision System, USA. The following parameters were recorded: laser flare photometry (Kowa FM 700, Japan), anterior chamber (AC) depth, AC volume, AC angle (Pentacam, Oculus Inc., Germany), lens density, pupil diameter, endothelial cell count and pachymetry. The analysis was performed preoperatively, immediately after femtosecond laser procedure and one day postoperatively.


RESULTS
Between FLACS and the phaco control group, there was a significant difference in the AC depth (p=0.023, 3.77 mm vs. 4.05 mm) one day postoperatively. The AC angle (p=0.016) showed a significant difference immediately after the femto laser treatment. The central and thinnest pachymetry and endothelial cell count did not show a significant difference between the two study cohorts (p=0.165, p=0.291, p=0.979). The phaco cohort (n=40) demonstrated a non-statistically significant difference in the flare photometry of 15.80 photons/ms one postoperative day compared to the FLACS group 26.62 photons/ms (p=0.322).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study population, no evidence for an additive damage caused by the use of the femtosecond laser was demonstrated. Furthermore, no increase in the central and thinnest corneal thickness and no increased endothelial cell loss was demonstrated by the laser energy.
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Milena
M
Pahlitzsch
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Necip
N
Torun
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Marie Luise
ML
Pahlitzsch
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Matthias K J
MKJ
Klamann
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Johannes
J
Gonnermann
a Department of Ophthalmology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
Eckart
E
Bertelmann
b Eye Clinic Wittenbergplatz , Berlin , Germany.
Thomas
T
Pahlitzsch
D000368:Aged; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002452:Cell Count; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D019781:Corneal Topography; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity
Corneal topography; femtosecond laser; femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery; laser flare photometry; phacoemulsification