EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/387844
133 October 2014 EW MEETING REPORTER function? Do patients profit from recent technical advances? Do we provide rapid rehabilitation? Over the past 40 years, he thinks that safety has been signifi- cantly improved in cataract surgery. Previously, there were concerns such as aphakia, endothelial loss, vitreous loss, expulsive hemorrhage, and postoperative infection. In terms of restoring full visual function, Dr. Grabner said this mission is not yet completed. Factors to consider at this point are precision of biome- try, astigmatism control, secondary cataracts, and presbyopia. He thinks that astigmatism above 1.5 D should be treated, but not all potential patients are treated. Dr. Grabner said low astigmatism must be addressed for best patient satisfaction. Recent technical advances have benefits for patients, including the femtosecond laser. Rapid rehabilitation could particularly be addressed with im- mediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS). Dr. Grabner concluded his lecture by quoting Sir Harold Ridley: "Even when a miracle becomes routine, it still remains a miracle." Preliminary results of ESCRS/ EUREQUO FLACS Study show femto and phaco comparable The preliminary results of the joint ESCRS/EUREQUO FLACS (femtosec- ond laser-assisted cataract surgery) Study demonstrate that, even in different patient populations, results are similar in FLACS and phacoemulsification, Peter Barry, MD, Dublin, Ireland, said at the symposium "Why Bother With Femto-Assisted Cataract Surgery?" "If you apply the quality out- come measures, which are utilized in EUREQUO, specifically visual acuit , biometry prediction error, surgically induced astigmatism, torn posterior capsule, vitreous loss, and dropped nucleus, despite 2 different patient populations emerging from this study, the basic EUREQUO quality outcomes in these 2 groups are es- sentially the same," Dr. Barry said. "In this regard, I must stress that these are preliminary results. The study is ongoing," he said. The purpose of the study is to answer the question "Does femto outperform phaco?" Dr. Barry said. Recruitment to the femto group began in Dec. 2013 at 16 centers in 10 countries in Europe, with a total of 2,022 patients. The phaco comparison group came from a selection of 100,000 patients from the European Registry of Quality Outcomes for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (EUREQUO), from 2012–2013, Dr. Barry said. Of those, 5,000 were randomly selected, which was then reduced to 4,992. That amount was compared to the 2,022 femto patients with EUREQUO measures for quality outcomes. In highlighting the differences between the groups, one of the most striking was the age difference, Dr. Barry said—patients in the phaco group were nearly 10 years older than those in the femto group. "Another striking characteristic was the preoperative visual acuity," Dr. Barry said. "[In] the femto group, 17.6% had a pre-cataract surgery best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) of 1.0 or better, compared to only 4.5% in the phaco group." Another compelling fact in the two groups: "the higher rate in the femto group of patients [5.2%, com- pared to 0.2% in the phaco group] who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery prior to having cataract surgery," he said. The Smart System ® 20/20 computerized vision testing system is the system of choice, offering a wide variety of fully randomizable acuity charts, contrast sensitivity testing, multimedia functions and much more. With exclusive features such as our patented Glare Testing (optional), the Smart System 20/20 delivers comprehensive vision testing. Opt for the versatile customizable tablet controller which also performs near-testing for acuity, contrast, color deficiencies, stereo vision and AMD detection. Time is money, but you needn't compromise quality to have more of both. Call us today! See More Patients Per Hour Increase your throughput and bring efficiency to the exam room while still providing exceptional care. Efficient, Accurate, Easy: Smart System 20/20 and Tablet www.mstech-eyes.com 1-877-225-6101 MA UFACTURED IN THE USA 11P_EW1014 M&S holds US Patents 7,354,155; 7,926,948; 8,425,040; 8,167,429; 8,419,184 & 8,550,631. Other Patents Pending. ©2014 M&S Technologies, Inc. Smart System and M&S are registered trademarks of M&S Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Increase your throughput and bring efficiency to the MA UFACTURED IN THE USA Visit us at the Academy Meeting in Chicago, Booth 1947 continued on page 134