Eyeworld

EW FEATURE 52 Femto cataract clinical update July 2015 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer Surgeons discuss their initial skepticism about femto and how they've embraced the technology W ith every new technol- ogy, there are poten- tial benefits, but there is also the potential for a learning curve and concerns about adopting it into practice. Richard Lewis, MD, Sacramento Eye Consultants, Sac- ramento, Calif., and Henry Perry, MD, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, Rockville Centre, N.Y., spoke about their initial hesitations with the femtosecond laser, adopt- ing it into their practices, and how they view it today. "I think everyone feels like whatever they're doing is the best thing and the right thing, and we're always reluctant to incorporate new technology," Dr. Lewis said. "There's always a hesitation of 'Do I need it and is it worth the price?'" This mindset can be applied across a number of spheres, includ- ing the practice of ophthalmology. "I think there's always that human nature of hesitancy and jus- tifying cost for new technology," he said. However, as new technologies integrate into practices, the value they bring often becomes clear. transition to a number of other changes throughout his career, like the transition from intracap to ex- tracap to phacoemulsification. Each of these was met with resistance, Dr. Lewis said, and each time, a number of people didn't want to make the change. Why the original skepticism? "In this case, the femto laser has a level of precision and safety that is unparalleled," Dr. Lewis said, and he thinks that in the next 10–15 years, all cataract surgery will be done with the laser. He likened the "[With femto] we had to do a certain number of cases to justify the cost, and we were concerned about whether we could do that," he said. Out of his 10-surgeon practice, some were bigger proponents than others for the technology. Embracing femto Monthly Pulse Femto cataract clinical update T he topic of this Monthly Pulse survey was "Femto cataract clinical update." When asked, "In your opinion, what is the main advantage of femtosecond laser cataract surgery?" the majority of respondents said the capsulotomy; however, this was closely followed by "I see no advantage of femtosecond laser cataract surgery." More than half of respondents said they already have access to a machine. The survey asked, "In your opinion, the most signifi- cant hurdle for femtosecond laser cataract surgery is?" A large majority of respondents to this survey think that the economic model is the most significant hurdle. Finally, when asked about the kind of patients in whom femtosecond laser cataract surgery would be advantageous, more than half of respondents answered "All of the above": patients with weak zonules, endothelial dystrophy, and hypermature lenses. When integrating new technology like the femtosecond laser for cataract surgery into a practice, some surgeons will be bigger proponents than others.

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