Factors Associated With Postoperative Outcomes in Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Technology
• Refractive Surgery

Background:

• Cataract surgery is a common procedure to restore vision.
• Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) offers a precise approach to cataract removal.
• Assessing postoperative outcomes and influencing factors is crucial for surgical refinement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the postoperative visual and refractive outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS).
• To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with favorable visual results after FLACS.
• To determine the efficacy of FLACS in correcting astigmatism.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of 162 eyes from 145 patients undergoing FLACS.
• Collection of pre and postoperative (one month) visual and refractive data.
• Calculation of postoperative efficacy using a defined formula.

Main Results:

• Significant reduction in postoperative cylinder compared to preoperative values (p < 0.001).
• Approximately 70% of eyes achieved postoperative absolute cylinder of ≤0.25 D.
• Mean procedure efficacy was 72.2%, with lower efficacy linked to higher preoperative cylinder, corneal eccentricity, and against-the-rule astigmatism.

Conclusions:

• FLACS is effective in achieving low postoperative astigmatism and high efficacy, with a low complication rate.
• Factors such as preoperative cylinder, corneal eccentricity, and astigmatism type (especially against-the-rule) are associated with reduced surgical efficacy.
• Further research into optimizing FLACS for specific patient factors may enhance outcomes.