Femtosecond laser assisted phacoemulsification plus IOL implant: toric IOL vs. astigmatic keratotomy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Refractive Surgery

Background:

• Astigmatism correction is crucial for successful cataract surgery outcomes.
• Both toric intraocular lenses (IOLt) and astigmatic keratotomy (AK) are used for astigmatism correction during cataract surgery.
• Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FSLACS) offers precise surgical capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of FSLACS with IOLt implantation versus AK for astigmatism correction.
• To evaluate the efficacy and stability of different astigmatism correction methods.
• To assess changes in corneal astigmatism and higher-order aberrations.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparative case series involving 60 eyes undergoing FSLACS with either IOLt or AK.
• Pre- and post-operative assessments included visual acuity, corneal topography, and astigmatism analysis.
• Follow-up averaged 16.29 months.

Main Results:

• Both IOLt and AK significantly reduced total ocular astigmatism.
• IOLt implantation resulted in stable corneal astigmatism and higher-order aberrations, while AK caused significant changes.
• Visual acuity improved significantly in both groups with no significant intergroup difference.

Conclusions:

• FSLACS with toric IOL implantation is an effective and stable method for astigmatism correction.
• Toric IOLs offer comparable visual outcomes to AK without inducing significant corneal higher-order aberrations.
• FSLACS combined with toric IOLs presents a reliable option for astigmatism management in cataract surgery.