ABSTRACT
Introduction: About ten years ago, the femtosecond laser was introduced into cataract surgery. Since then, laser cataract surgery (LCS) has been embraced by a large number of ophthalmic surgeons. First believed to be a procedure benefitting only a number of patients looking for perfect postoperative vision – usually after the implantation of a premium IOL – it has become a clinical tool for many individuals undergoing cataract surgery after demonstrating its efficacy and safety in many and often complicated cases.
Areas covered: This review will present some recent developments like the search for optimal laser settings, surgical measures to prevent posterior capsule opacification (PCO) by employing a widely unknown anatomical structure – or rather: void – in the eye, and new technologies to alter the refractive power of the IOL long after it had been implanted.
Expert opinion/commentary: LCS is still developing. It has proven to be safe and effective, particularly the precision and circularity of the capsulotomy have repeatedly been demonstrated. Any comparison with manual cataract surgery as it has developed over the last two decades is a contest between highly successful procedures, probably the most successful in the history of ophthalmology.
Declaration of interest
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose