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Femtosecond Laser Capsulotomy Limited in Mature Cataracts

Higher occurrence rates of tags and incomplete capsulotomies in mature cataracts

MONDAY, April 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Femtosecond (FS) laser capsulotomy efficacy is decreased in mature cataracts, with higher occurrence rates of tags, according to a study published online April 22 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

Bilgehan Sezgin Asena, M.D., and Mahmut Kaskaloglu, M.D., from the Kaskaloglu Eye Hospital in Izmir, Turkey, compared the efficacy and safety of FS laser capsulotomy between mature and non-mature cataracts in a prospective, masked, cross-sectional study. One hundred thirty-three eyes of 97 patients were included. Cataracts were classified into mature (Group I, 50 eyes) and non-mature (Group II, 83 eyes).

The researchers found that in 15 percent of eyes (20 eyes), capsule tags occurred (12 in Group I, eight in Group II; P = 0.011). Incomplete capsulotomy was significantly higher in Group I versus Group II (P < 0.0001). Free capsulotomy was present in 72 and 90 percent of eyes in Groups I and II, respectively (P = 0.03).

“The grade of cataract significantly increased the number of suboptimal capsulotomy outcomes in FS laser capsulotomy,” the authors write. “In mature cataract cases, the surgeon should be aware of limitations of FS laser in order to prevent capsule-related complications.”

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