Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery and conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery in patients with lens subluxation

Abstract

To analyze the results of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery (CPCS) in patients with 1-2 degree lens subluxation. The follow-up involved 86 patients (89 eyes). The 1st group comprised 34 patients (35 eyes) that underwent FLACS; the 2nd group included 52 patients (54 eyes) who underwent CPCS. At day four of the follow-up central corneal thickness was significantly lower after FLACS (pm-u=0.024), but the difference did not remain statistically reliable by 1.5 months after the surgery. At discharge day and 4 months after the surgery uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) after FLACS reliably exceeded UCVA of the 2nd group patients (pm-u=0.00) with mean UCVA being 0.61±0.29 and 0.42±0.25 respectively. Internal higher order aberrations (HOA) in 5.0 mm zone in the 1st group decreased by 4 times and amounted to 0.236±0.06 μm, in the 2nd group increased by 4.1 times and was 4.606±8.16 μm; the difference between the groups was statistically significant (pm-u<0.001). Mean endothelial cells density after FLACS was 2551.91±321.55 cells/mm2, after CPCS - 2352.35±436.68 cells/mm2 (pm-u<0.005). Complications after FLACS included 2 cases (5.71%) of posterior capsular rupture and 1 case (2.8%) of post-op corneal edema; patients after CPCS had 6 (11.1%) and 12 (22.2%) complication cases respectively. FLACS is the safer and more effective surgery choice for patients with 1-2 degree lens subluxation in comparison with CPCS; it decreases the risk of possible complications and provides faster postoperative rehabilitation.