The next generation of refractive cataract surgery reached another significant milestone when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued clearance for the LENSAR Laser System to perform corneal incisions – the key step to gaining access into the clouded lens of the eye. The clearance means that patients considering the laser procedure for the removal of their cataracts have another critical tool to help optimize safety, satisfaction and outcomes in connection with their surgery.
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The corneal incision made with the laser offers surgeons the ability to execute tiny, ultra-precise, self-sealing incisions. In August, the LENSAR laser was approved by the FDA to create the perfectly round and centered capsulorhexis, as well as to pre-fragment the clouded lens of the eye in order to reduce the required ultrasonic energy to break up and remove the cataract. Sarasota’s Center For Sight the first ophthalmic practice in the nation to acquire this breakthrough technology and has since performed more than 500 refractive cataract surgeries using the laser – making Center For Sight the most experienced user of the LENSAR Laser in the country.
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“This is the real deal,” says David W. Shoemaker, M.D., Center For Sight founder and Director of Cataract and Lens Replacement Surgery. “The LENSAR Laser has performed flawlessly each and every time. As a physician and surgeon, I am in awe of the genius of this technology.”
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The LENSAR system is the world’s only computer-driven femtosecond cataract laser to provide a real 3-D image of the entire lens of the eye. The ultra precise imaging and biometric measurements ensure exact laser pulse placement. All the incisions made with the laser take less than 15 seconds to complete.
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“The advances in ophthalmic surgery are nothing less than astounding. There is no other field of medicine that has progressed at such a dynamic pace. The range of treatment options for patients suffering visual loss just continues to expand,” concludes Dr. Shoemaker.
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The next phase of FDA approvals is expected to address using the laser to create limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs) for the treatment of astigmatism. The LRI is an elective surgical procedure that is performed to help the eye return to a normal round shape, thus correcting any poor vision as a result of astigmatism.
