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Post-Refractive Surgery Ectasia is a serious, sight-threatening, and highly - avoided complication seen after the following procedures: Laser in situ Keratomileusis, Photorefractive Keratectomy, Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, Radial and/or Arcuate Keratotomy. Specific risk factors may include age, corneal thickness, degree of refractive error, corneal topographic changes including irregular astigmatism, percent tissue ablation, and residual stromal bed. Biomarkers may be a new option to help indicate who is at greatest risk for ectasia. Visual aids including glasses or contacts lenses are often required to achieve optimal vision. Collagen crosslinking is the only treatment thought to stop progression of ectasia and prevent keratoplasty. Other surgical options may include topography-guided phototherapeutic keratectomy and intrastromal corneal ring segments. Ultimately an "ounce of prevention is a pound of cure" so careful preoperative screening and ultimately offering the safest and most effective treatments for patients is arguably the most important job of the refractive surgeon.

Femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) offers a level of precision, accuracy and customization that is not possible with manual phacoemulsification (MP). With the increase of patient expectations and premium intraocular lens utilization in the era of refractive cataract surgery, predictability and accuracy has become of utmost importance. FLACS has four main functions: creation of a consistently sized round capsulotomy, treatment of keratometric astigmatism with arcuate incisions, construction of clear corneal incisions, and fragmentation and/or softening of the lens. However, FLACS may have limitations due to suction loss, incomplete capsulotomy or poor pupillary dilation. Patient selection and surgeon experience is critical. This review article will focus on the various platforms available for FLACS, the steps in cataract surgery it can perform, and overall advantages and limitations of the technology.

PURPOSE: To evaluate refractive outcomes, safety, and cost-effectiveness of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared with phacoemulsification cataract surgery (PCS). METHODS: A PubMed search of FLACS was conducted in August 2020. A total of 727 abstracts were reviewed and 33 were selected for full-text review. Twelve articles met inclusion criteria and were included in this assessment. The panel methodologist assigned a level of evidence rating of I to all 12 studies. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in mean uncorrected distance visual acuity, best-corrected distance visual acuity, or the percentage of eyes within ± 0.5 and ± 1 diopter of intended refractive target between FLACS and PCS. Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were similar between the 2 groups, and most studies showed no difference in endothelial cell loss between FLACS and PCS at various time points between 1 and 6 months. In large randomized controlled studies in the United Kingdom and France, FLACS was less cost-effective than PCS. CONCLUSIONS: Both FLACS and PCS have similar excellent safety and refractive outcomes. At this time, one technique is not superior to the other, but economic analyses performed in some populations have shown that FLACS is less cost-effective.

To review the clinical use, advantages, and potential limitations of intraoperative aberrometry (IA) and its application in cataract surgery in the normal, astigmatic, and atypical eye. The use of IA is similar to traditional preoperative biometry methods for intraocular lens (IOL) determination in short and normal eyes. The use of IA resulted in equivalent outcomes to modern formulas with optimized axial lengths in long eyes and exceeded traditional formulas. Improved outcomes compared to traditional methods were noted with the use of IA when used for both astigmatism correction and IOL determination in patients with a history of corneal refractive surgery. The greatest value in using IA is with atypical eyes. There is a surgeon learning curve with this technology to allow for optimal, consistent, and reproducible results. Despite the increasing popularity of IA, the number of published studies on this technology is limited.

Purpose: This is the first review article examining literature specific to the use of corneal cross-linking (CXL) to treat pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD). Results: CXL appears to be an effective treatment that may halt the progression of PMD to stabilize vision. This could postpone or eliminate the need for corneal transplantation in the management of these patients. Furthermore, combining CXL with keratorefractive surgery in a single procedure has been shown to be safe and successful in improving vision in PMD patients. Conclusions: The data reported in literature is limited at this time, consisting mostly of retrospective studies with short term follow up. Further research is needed to evaluate refractive effects of combined CXL and excimer laser procedures.

This review summarizes the advantages of Small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), including improved patient intraoperative experience, improved postoperative ocular surface, low incidence of regression, low re-treatment rates, and advantageous biomechanical corneal stability. Visual and refractive outcomes are similar to those achieved with LASIK, notably in large population studies. Since the inception of SMILE almost 10 years ago, the procedure has been rapidly growing in popularity. With the implementation of the novel SMILE technology in their practice, refractive surgeons generate excitement and potential for expanding the refractive market. Other parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and Russia, SMILE has become the most popular refractive procedure performed. It is speculated that as SMILE continues to grow in popularity in the US since FDA approval in 2016 and more refractive surgeons implement this technology into their practice, it will drive an increase in the refractive market similar to what is seen in other countries.

Connor J Baharozian,1 Christian Song,2,3 Kathryn M Hatch,2,3 Jonathan H Talamo2,3 1Boston University School of Medicine, 2Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 3Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine an arcuate incision (AI) nomogram to treat astigmatism during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Methods: This is a retrospective, cohort study. Femtosecond laser (FSL)-assisted transepithelial AIs were created at a 9.0 mm optical zone, 80% depth, centered on the limbus. We modified the manual Donnenfeld limbal relaxing incision nomogram to 70% for with-the-rule (WTR), 80% for oblique (OBL), and 100% for against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism. The correction index (CI) equaled AI-induced astigmatism/target-induced astigmatism. Measures included preoperative keratometric corneal cylinder (Pre Kcyl), postoperative Kcyl (Post Kcyl), and postoperative residual refractive astigmatism (Post RRA). Results: Mean Pre Kcyl and 1–2 months Post RRA in 161 eyes of 116patients were 0.626±0.417diopters (D) (range 0.5–2 D), and 0.495±0.400 D (range 0–1.5 D), respectively. Mean absolute astigmatic changes (Pre Kcyl–Post Kcyl) without accounting for axis change in the WTR, ATR, and OBL groups were 0.165±0.383 D (P

Corneal cross-linking was approved by United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of progressive keratoconus in April 2016. As this approach becomes more widely used for the treatment of keratoconus and post-laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) ectasia, the medical community is becoming more familiar with potential complications associated with this procedure. This article aims to review the reported complications of collagen cross-linking for the treatment of keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia.

The past half century of progress in keratoplasty is reviewed with respect both to fundamental evolution of corneal transplantation from essentially uniform penetrating keratoplasty of the 1960s to the current variations on anterior and posterior lamellar keratoplasty themes. The adjunctive development of surgical instrumentation, eye banking, and tecniques of ocular surface rehabilitation, anterior segment reconstruction and cataract surgery are also interpolated with respect to their influences on keratoplasty itself. The future of bioengineered corneas and their cellular constituents is also introduced.

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of surgeons' visual estimation of LASIK flap thickness when created by a femtosecond laser by comparing it to ultrasound measurements. METHODS: Surgeons were asked to visually estimate the thickness of a femtosecond flap during the procedure. Total corneal thickness was measured by ultrasound pachymetry prior to the procedure and the stromal bed was similarly measured after flap lifting. The estimates from three experienced surgeons (cornea fellowship trained and more than 5 years in practice) were compared to those of three cornea fellows, with each surgeon evaluating 20 eyes (120 total). Surgeons were not told the thickness of the flaps unless required for safety reasons. RESULTS: The average difference between visual and ultrasonic estimation of LASIK flap thickness was 15.20 μ m. The flap was 10 μ m thicker than estimated in 37% of eyes, 20 μ m thicker in 17% of eyes, and 30 μ m thicker in 10% of eyes. The largest deviation was 53 μ m. There was no statistically significant difference between the accuracy of experienced surgeons and fellows ( P = .51). CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences between surgeons' visual estimates and ultrasonic measurements of LASIK flap thickness. Relying on these visual estimates may lead to deeper excimer laser ablation than intended. This could lead to thinner residual stromal beds and higher percent tissue altered than planned. The authors recommend that surgeons measure flaps intraoperatively to maximize accuracy and safety. [ J Refract Surg. 2017;33(11):765–767.]

Christian Song,1,2 Connor J Baharozian,3 Kathryn M Hatch,1,2 Jonathan H Talamo1,2 1Department of Opthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Opthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA Purpose: To evaluate the collective user experience with an image-guided femtosecond laser (FSL) for cataract surgery in a high-volume, multi-surgeon, ambulatory surgical center. Subjects and methods: A detailed online survey was distributed to all surgeons in a single ambulatory surgical center who had performed cataract surgery using a FSL since its acquisition in December 2012. Information collected included the number of cases performed, typical surgical techniques and parameters, satisfaction with individual features of the laser (rated on a scale from 1=completely unsatisfied to 10=extremely satisfied) and commentary on ease of use and suggested improvements. Results: Seventeen of 30 surgeons (56.7%) completed the survey, representing a case volume of 1,967 eyes. Fourteen surgeons (82.4%) felt they required≤10 cases with the FSL to operate with the same safety and control as in standard phacoemulsification surgery. Satisfaction was highest for capsulotomies, lens fragmentation, lens softening, arcuate incisions and the graphic user interface (mean scores 9.4, 8.7, 8.7, 7.2 and 8.9, respectively). Preferred capsulotomy diameter was 4.8–5.2mm (64.7% of respondents). About half (52.9%) of respondents centered the capsulotomy on the pupil and the other 47.1% centered the capsulotomy using optical coherence tomography. Most respondents (81.3%) preferred transepithelial arcuate incisions compared to intrastromal incisions. Satisfaction was lowest with FSL-created, main, clear corneal incisions and paracenteses (mean scores 4.4 and 4.2, respectively). Conclusion: Laser-assisted cataract surgery has a short learning curve and a high rate of user satisfaction. Further software and hardware development is warranted to improve user satisfaction with peripheral and clear corneal incisions. Keywords: survey, satisfaction, learning curve, performance, Catalys, FLACS, capsulorhexis

PURPOSE: To assess the rate of unplanned vitrectomies with femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared to conventional phacoemulsification at a single, high-volume, multi-surgeon ambulatory surgical center. METHODS: Retrospective, comparative study of phacoemulsification cases performed in a community-based ambulatory surgical center. A chart review of 2,480 consecutive FLACS procedures performed by 30 surgeons and 36,865 consecutive conventional phacoemulsification surgeries performed by 47 surgeons was conducted. The rate of unplanned vitrectomies was evaluated. In eyes with unplanned vitrectomy, the rates of posterior capsule tear, anterior capsule tear, and zonular dehiscence were analyzed. The unplanned vitrectomy rates between early and late FLACS cases were compared using thresholds of greater than 10, 20, and 50 cases. RESULTS: There were 230 (0.62%) and 16 (0.65%) unplanned vitrectomies in the conventional phacoemulsification and FLACS groups, respectively ( P = .89). Of the cases requiring unplanned vitrectomy, posterior capsule tear, anterior capsule tear, and zonular dehiscence rates (conventional phacoemulsification vs FLACS) were 70.9% versus 56.3%, 8.3% versus 12.5%, and 20.9% versus 31.3%, respectively ( P = .35). The difference in unplanned vitrectomy rates between early and late cases did not reach statistical significance in any threshold group. CONCLUSIONS: FLACS had a rate of unplanned vitrectomy comparable to conventional phacoemulsification. There was no statistically significant difference in unplanned vitrectomy rates between early and late FLACS cases suggesting a short learning curve. [ J Refract Surg. 2018;34(9):610–614.]

To compare effective phacoemulsification time (EPT) for the removal of brunescent cataracts treated with femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with standard cataract phacoemulsification techniques.Ruhr University Eye Hospital, Bochum, Germany.Comparative prospective case study.The Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III) grading system was used to measure eyes divided into 4 groups having cataract surgery. Groups 1 and 2 contained eyes with LOCS III grade nuclear opalescence (NO) 3 cataracts treated with standard cataract surgery and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, respectively. Groups 3 and 4 contained brunescent cataracts, LOCS III grades NO5, treated with standard cataract surgery and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, respectively.There were 240 eyes, with 60 eyes in each group. The EPT in Group 1 ranged from 0.46 to 3.10 (mean 1.38); the EPT in all eyes in Group 2 was 0 (P.001). The EPT in Groups 3 and 4 was 2.12 to 19.29 (mean 6.85) and 0 to 6.75 (mean 1.35), respectively (P.001). A comparison between EPT in Groups 1 and 4 showed that EPT in Group 4 was also lower than in Group 1 (P = .013). Groups 4 and 1 were the most statistically similar of all groups compared, suggesting that EPT for a femtosecond laser-treated grade 5 cataract was most similar to that of a standard-treated grade 3 cataract.Femtosecond laser pretreatment for brunescent cataracts allowed for a significant reduction in EPT compared with manual standard phacoemulsification techniques.Drs. Hatch, Talamo, and Dick are consultants to Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. Dr. Schultz has no financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

The use of the femtosecond laser (FSL) in cataract surgery may represent the largest advancement in the field since the inception of phacoemulsification. The goal of this review is to outline the benefits of and barriers to this technology.There are several significant potential benefits of the FSL in cataract surgery over conventional manual cataract surgery: precise capsulotomy formation, clear corneal and limbal relaxing incision construction, lens fragmentation, and lens softening. Evidence suggests that refractive benefits include more precise effective lens position as well as reduced effective phacoemulsification time with the use of FSL compared with manual surgery. Patients with conditions such as Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy, pseudoexfoliation, history of trauma, or brunescent cataracts may particularly benefit from this technology. There are significant financial and logistical issues to consider prior to the purchase of a FSL, including the cost of the laser, and charges to patients, and how the laser affects the patient flow in the operating room.The FSL may significantly change the current approach to cataract surgery.

Corneal cross linking (CXL) has significant supporting evidence suggesting that it stabilizes keratoconus (KC) and increases corneal rigidity. Randomized clinical trials demonstrating this in a statistically significant manner would still be welcomed however.

Purpose To investigate whether preoperative corneal topographic and biomechanical parameters (CTBPs) predict postoperative residual refractive error (RRE). Methods We retrospectively included 151 eyes from 151 patients of small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with target RRE of plano and 3-month measurements of refractive error from Tianjin Eye Hospital. Multivariate linear/logistic regressions were performed to associate age, gender, preoperative refractive error, lenticule thickness, and CTBPs with postoperative RRE/the occurrence of myopic RRE ≤ -0.25 diopter (D). Stepwise regression was used for feature selection. Leave-one-cross-validation was used for model evaluation by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results From linear regression, more myopic RRE was associated with higher preoperative myopia, intraocular pressure (IOP), flattest curvature of anterior cornea (AC), and highest concavity deformation (HCD), and was associated with lower anterior elevation, anterior asphericity, steepest curvature of AC, and second applanation velocity. The occurrence of ≤ -0.25 D RRE was associated with higher myopia, IOP, posterior elevation and asphericity, flattest curvature of AC, first applanation velocity and HCD, and was associated with lower first applanation stiffness parameter, central corneal thickness, anterior elevation and asphericity, steepest curvature of AC, and second applanation velocity as well as thinner lenticule thickness. Compared to the baseline model using age, gender, and preoperative refractive error, adding CTBPs significantly (P < 0.001) improved the AUC performance to 0.771 from 0.615. Conclusions Postoperative outcomes of SMILE can be predicted by individual CTBPs. Translational Relevance Our findings could be used to customize a refractive nomogram based on individual corneal properties improving outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Purpose To report the observation of prolonged reepithelialization after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) associated with the use of besifloxacin 0.6% (Besivance; Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY) underneath bandage contact lenses (BCLs) placed during surgery. Methods An office-based private practice and retrospective chart review. The healing parameters examined included epithelial healing time, haze formation, discomfort, and visual recovery of 4 patients (7 eyes) treated with besifloxacin 0.6% under BCLs placed after the PRK was performed. Results All the eyes had delayed epithelial closure (mean, 8.8 days; range 5-13 days). All the patients experienced a delayed visual recovery and significant pain after the surgery, and 2 of 4 patients experienced recurrent corneal erosions for weeks to months after they underwent the PRK. All but 1 eye developed corneal haze persisting for 1 year or more after the surgery. Only 1 eye among the 7 eyes treated with besifloxacin 0.6% under the BCL had 20/20 or better uncorrected visual acuity 3 months postoperatively. Conclusions All the patients treated with besifloxacin 0.6% on the stromal bed exhibited significant problems with corneal epithelial healing and delayed visual recovery. We caution the use of besifloxacin 0.6% underneath a BCL during a PRK or other ocular surface surgeries requiring corneal epithelial debridement.