EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/618732
EW FEATURE 46 Management of the irregular cornea • January 2016 When asked what they thought they would be using in 2–3 years, 79% of U.S. surgeons said that they would be using wavefront ablations, with 44% saying they would be using customized wavefront abla- tions, and 34% saying that they would be using optimized wavefront ablations. The number of non-U.S. surgeons who expect to use topog- raphy-customized ablations in 2–3 years was 18%, up from 11% who currently use topography-custom- ized ablations. Additionally, the number of non-U.S. surgeons who expect to use femtosecond intrastro- mal lenticule extraction in 2–3 years was 16%, up from 5% who currently use this method. See Figure 1. Impact on corneal biomechanical properties When asked which treatment option has the least impact on the corne- al biomechanical properties, the most common response was surface ablation (with 58% of surgeons giving this response). This response was much more common among U.S. surgeons (74%) compared to non-U.S. surgeons (42%). Addition- ally, 20% of non-U.S. surgeons said femtosecond flap LASIK had the least impact on corneal biomechan- ical properties, and 3% of non-U.S. surgeons said femtosecond lenticule extraction. See Figure 2. "There's no question that PRK has the least impact on corneal bio- mechanics and dry eye. Naturally, more patients and surgeons choose LASIK because of its faster visual rehabilitation. In general, the more patient-friendly procedure wins out in any contest between techniques," Dr. Hovanesian said. EW Editors' note: Dr. Hovanesian has financial interests with Abbott Medical Optics (Abbott Park, Ill.), and Alcon (Fort Worth, Texas). Contact information Hovanesian: drhovanesian@harvardeye.com Laser vision continued from page 44 Femtosecond Thorlakson Eye Speculum K1-5673 Adjustable mechanism 10mm rounded wire blades designed to accommodate the suction ring of the FEMTO LDV TM laser. FEMTO LDV TM is a trademark of Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG Thorlakson Z-LASIK TM Flap Lifter K3-2536 K3-2537 short handle Combines a 1mm long, extra fine modified Sinskey Hook and a 12mm long bi-convex spatula with beveled notches. To lift LASIK flaps created with a femtosecond laser. Z-LASIK TM is a trademark of Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG IntraLase® Flap Lifter K3-2538 Combines a 1mm long Sinskey Hook for finding the flap edge and a long, blunt, 11mm long hook to undermine the flap perpendicular to the hinge. IntraLase® is a registered trademark of AMO INSTRUMENTS 973-989-1600 • 800-225-1195 • www.katena.com AD225-11A " While we still do not have a laser ablation technology that will completely treat highly irregular corneas, it is exciting to see the incremental improvements in technology that are being approved. Particularly, the approval of the first topography-guided laser ablation in the United States is great progress. " –John Hovanesian, MD