Mobile femtosecond laser platform for pediatric cataract surgery

Application of Femtosecond Laser in Challenging Cataract Cases

Femtosecond laser can provide precise and customized incision of ocular tissue with excellent accuracy and predictability. Thus, femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) can theoretically enhance the safety and efficacy of cataract surgery by providing reproducible and reliable clear corneal incision, limbal relaxing incision, anterior capsulotomy, and lens fragmentation. However, thus far, the superiority of the anatomical and visual outcomes of FLACS over those of conventional cataract surgery have been unclear. Nevertheless, studies have indicated that FLACS can potentially be helpful in improving the safety of cataract surgery in challenging situations, such as zonular weakness, preexisting capsular tear, white cataract, shallow anterior chamber, and pediatric cataracts, which may contribute to enhanced visual and anatomical outcomes. In this review, we provide a summary of the application of femtosecond laser in general cataract cases. In addition, we introduce the application of FLACS in the abovementioned challenging situations and discuss the results of studies regarding the safety and outcome of FLACS in these challenging cases.

Pediatric cataract surgery: considerations and updates in diagnosis and management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of updates in the diagnosis and management of pediatric cataracts, with an emphasis on recent discoveries in the last two years.

RECENT FINDINGS

Pediatric cataracts remain an infrequent but significant disease with vision threatening consequences. Although much of the management has not changed historically, more recent updates, particularly borrowed from adult cataract management, have influenced the field of cataract management in children. Even these studies emphasize that pediatric cataracts are a distinct clinical entity from adult-onset cataracts, and further research is needed to optimize the diagnosis and management of cataracts in childhood.

SUMMARY

This is an overview of the recent advancements in the diagnosis of management of pediatric cataracts, with advancements that originate from the adult cataract surgery field in addition to studies that challenge classical surgical techniques to make cataract surgery safer and to promote amblyopia therapy.

Portable femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery in a child with bilateral ectopia lentis with microspherophakia

Purpose

The purpose of this case report is to describe the utility of portable femtosecond laser platform in a child with bilateral isolated microspherophakia and ectopia lentis performed under general anesthesia.

Observation

An appropriately sized and well centered capsulotomy with well centered PCIOL could be achieved in both eyes of the patient.

Conclusion & Importance

The advent of mobile femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery might prove a useful and convenient platform for surgeries in pediatric patients with subluxated cataracts even under general anesthesia. It may circumvent the need for an additional laser suite and reduce surgical time by eliminating the need for patient movement.

Femtosecond laser-assisted anterior capsulotomy in children undergoing cataract surgery: a large case series

Objective

To evaluate safety and postoperative visual outcomes of low-energy femtosecond laser-assisted (FLA) anterior capsulotomy in paediatric cataract surgery.

Methods and analysis

We report a retrospective single-centre consecutive case series of 51 eyes of 33 paediatric cataract patients with a mean age of 3.22 years (range: 2 months to 13 years) who underwent cataract surgery with FLA anterior capsulotomy, using FEMTO LDV Z8 femtosecond laser (Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems). Anterior laser capsulotomy, phacoaspiration and intraocular lens implantation were performed in all eyes. Both intraoperative and long-term postoperative complications, along with long-term monocular corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), were assessed during average follow-up period of 32.96 months (range: 13–69 months).

Results

In 48 out of 51 eyes, a well-sized and well-located anterior capsulotomy was achieved without intraoperative complications. Anterior capsule tears occurred in three eyes; however, they did not extend posteriorly and the intraocular lens were placed in the bags without any further complications. Posterior capsular opacification developed in 45.10% of eyes (23 out of 51) and was subsequently treated with neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy. Mean CDVA at final follow-up was 20/40 (range: 20/63 to 20/32) in unilateral cases younger than 12 months, 20/40 (range: 20/1000 to 20/25) in unilateral cases older than 12 months, 20/66 (range: 20/400 to 20/32) in bilateral cases younger than 12 months and 20/40 (range: 20/200 to 20/20) in bilateral cases older than 12 months.

Conclusions

Paediatric cataract surgery with low-energy FLA anterior capsulotomy is a procedure with long-term safety, resulting in significant improvement in CDVA.

Femtosecond laser - Assisted cataract surgery in pediatric pyramidal anterior polar cataract

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to describe the successful utilization of femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) in a rare case of pyramidal anterior polar cataract in a female child.

OBSERVATIONS

The patient is a 6 years old girl that presented to the cornea clinic with a unilateral pyramidal cataract that was deemed to be visually significant, and therefore required cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation surgery. FLACS was proposed and mother consented to proceed with the surgery. The femtosecond laser technology enabled precise completion of a central capsulotomy around the protruding pyramidal capsular lesion.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCECONCLUSION

Various capsulorhexis techniques have been described and are used in pediatric cataracts including manual, can opener, vitrectorhexis, and laser, but none has become a standard. We propose the use of femtosecond laser for cataract extraction in cases of pediatric pyramidal cataracts, and hereby provide the first case report of such. The laser is a safe method for capsulorhexis construction and offers an additional advantage of intraoperative anterior segment OCT image guidance with visualization of the pyramidal lesion.

Femtosecond laser-assisted anterior and posterior capsulotomies in children with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous

Anterior and posterior capsulotomies were performed in 12 eyes of 12 patients (age range 3 months to 6 years) with congenital cataracts and primary persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV) syndrome using a femtosecond laser. The procedure was performed in 8 eyes with PHPV severity level 1 and 4 eyes with severity level 2 (Sudovsky classification). Surgeries were performed at the Kaluga branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution, Russia. Postoperative follow-up was between 8 months and 36 months. The use of a low-energy femtosecond laser-assisted posterior capsulotomy in this pediatric population provided safe and predictable results with a reduced number of intraocular manipulations, and reduced the risk for complications.

Application of Femtosecond Laser in Anterior Segment Surgery

Femtosecond laser (FSL) is a near-infrared laser that can create reliable and reproducible tissue cutting with minimal damage to adjacent tissue. As the laser can also create incisions with various orientations, depths, and shapes, it is expected to be a useful tool for anterior segment surgery, such as cornea, refractive, and cataract surgery. In this review, the authors will introduce the application of FSL in various anterior segment surgeries and discuss the results of studies regarding the efficacy and safety of FSL in cornea, refractive, and cataract surgery. Experimental studies regarding the potential use of FSL will also be introduced. The studies discussed in this review suggest that FSL may be a useful tool for improving the prognosis and safety of surgeries of the anterior segment.