Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in eyes with a small pupil

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of different treatment modalities in eyes with small pupils before femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. SETTING: Ruhr University Eye Clinic, Bochum, Germany. DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial. METHODS: Eyes with an intraoperative pupil size smaller than 5.5 mm received sequential treatments to achieve a pupil larger than 5.5 mm in 3 steps: (1) intracameral administration of epinephrine solution, (2) additional viscomydriasis, and (3) implantation of a Malyugin ring pupil expander. When a step enlarged the pupil to at least 5.5 mm, femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with an anterior capsulotomy diameter of at least 4.5 mm and 350 mu m nuclear fragmentation grids, ultrasound phacoemulsification, and intraocular lens implantation were performed. Main outcome measures were achieved preoperative pupil size in each sequential treatment group and analysis of intraoperative complications. RESULTS: Of 850 eyes scheduled for cataract surgery, 40 received sequential treatments. To achieve a pupil larger than 5.5 mm, epinephrine was sufficient in 7% of the eyes; additional viscomydriasis was necessary in 25%, and the pupil expander was implanted in 68%. The most frequent comorbidities were pseudoexfoliation of the lens capsule (30.0%) and intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome (12.5%). Tongue-like lesions of the capsulotomies were detected in 5 eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The 3-step treatment allowed the surgeon to increase the efficiency and safety of femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery in eyes with a small preoperative pupil, providing good safety margins at the pupil boundary for the capsulotomy and the softened nuclear volume.