{"id":17765,"date":"2021-10-03T18:13:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T18:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=17765"},"modified":"2021-10-03T18:13:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T18:13:32","slug":"femtosecond-lasers-for-cataract-surgery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/cataract-surgery-what-to-expect\/femtosecond-lasers-for-cataract-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Femtosecond Lasers for Cataract Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is the latest advance in cataract surgery.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Performed without the use of traditional blades or scalpels, this new generation of cataract surgery employs a particular sort of laser to accurately create incisions and break apart the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/cataracts\/\">cataract<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>The femtosecond laser is set to make a precise incision and break up the cataract, allowing faster and more accurate<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/when-should-i-have-cataract-surgery\/\"> cataract surgery<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n<h2><b>The procedure<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Using state-of-the-art, ultra-precise laser technology, a femtosecond laser is used to create a tiny hole and then break up the cataract, reducing the surgical time and recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Cataracts are a clouding of the eye\u2019s natural lens, requiring surgical removal and replacement with a new Intraocular Lens (IOL).<\/p>\n<p><b>Step 1: Corneal incision<\/b><\/p>\n<p>An incision is created in the cornea, just like in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/when-should-i-have-cataract-surgery\/will-cataract-surgery-give-me-20-20-vision\/\"> traditional cataract surgery<\/a>. However, in femtosecond laser cataract surgery, the cut is made with a specific laser rather than a surgical knife. The process is very precise since the laser is programmed for the exact depth and size of the incision.<\/p>\n<p><b>Step 2: Capsulotomy<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The laser then creates an opening in the capsule bag that surrounds the lens, known as a capsulotomy, giving the surgeon access to the clouded lens, the cataract.<\/p>\n<p>In manual cataract surgery this is usually done using a needle, but in femtosecond laser cataract surgery a laser is utilized for a more precise result.<\/p>\n<p><b>Step 3: Breaking up the cataract<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Finally, the cataract is fractured with a femtosecond laser rather than an old-fashioned ultrasonic device, with the surgeon performing the final removal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/cataract-surgery-what-to-expect\/cataract-surgery-complications\/\">Cataract Surgery Complications<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you<\/a> to find out whether you can benefit from FLACS.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Benefits of femtosecond laser cataract surgery<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The femtosecond laser cataract surgery process has brought a new degree of precision to cataract surgery. Some of the advantages of this procedure over regular cataract surgery include:<\/p>\n<p><b>1. Precision and safety<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Femtosecond laser surgery allows surgeons to design their incisions down to the micron level, substantially enhancing accuracy and lowering the risk of error.<\/p>\n<p><b>2. Needle and blade free<\/b><\/p>\n<p>During cataract surgery, laser cataract surgery reduces the need for several surgical instruments and eliminates the use of blades.<\/p>\n<p><b>3. IOL stability<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/when-should-i-have-cataract-surgery\/will-cataract-surgery-give-me-20-20-vision\/\">replacement lens (IOL)<\/a> is more stable after laser surgery, due to the precision of the laser in making the hole in the capsule bag.<\/p>\n<p><b>4. Faster surgery<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The use of a femtosecond laser reduces the amount of ultrasonic energy necessary to remove the cataractous lens.<\/p>\n<p><b>5. Faster recovery time<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When a laser is used for increased precision, the cut in the cornea is more likely to self-seal after the procedure. Healing and recovery times can be faster.<\/p>\n<p><b>6. Optimized visual results<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Premium intraocular lenses are now incredibly effective when inserted during surgery. The optical benefits of these newer lenses can be fully realized with femtosecond laser cataract surgery.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE: \u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/\">Guide to Cataracts<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Contact an eye doctor near you<\/a> to find out more about femtosecond laser cataract surgery.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>While femtosecond technology is still in its early stages of development, it may generally provide safer, faster, and precise outcomes for cataract surgery.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is the latest advance in cataract surgery. Performed without the use of traditional blades or scalpels, this new generation of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":17766,"parent":7097,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17765","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Femtosecond Lasers for Cataract Surgery - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-cataracts\/cataract-surgery-what-to-expect\/femtosecond-lasers-for-cataract-surgery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Femtosecond Lasers for Cataract Surgery - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is the latest advance in cataract surgery. 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