Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in intumescent white cataracts

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of femtosecond laser assisted capsulotomy in eyes with intumescent white cataract. SETTING: Ruhr University Eye Clinic, Bochum, Germany. DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial. METHODS:After femtosecond laser assisted capsulotomy (Catalys Precision system), phacoemulsification was performed using pulsed ultrasound energy and the effective phacoemulsification time was evaluated. The lenticular capsule disk was stained intraoperatively with trypan blue and pulled out using a microsurgical forceps for further analysis of form and shape. RESULTS: Twenty-five eyes were included in this trial. Automatic optical coherence tomography detection of the anterior capsule was performed successfully in all eyes. Radial anterior tears occurred in 2 eyes, an adherent tongue-like capsule adhesion in 9 eyes, and an incomplete capsulotomy button in 3 eyes. In all cases, the intraocular lens was centered and the implantation was uneventful. The mean deviation from the target diameter of the extracted capsule disks was 60 mu m +/- 44 (SD). CONCLUSION: The use of the femtosecond laser assisted system for capsulotomy in surgery for intumescent white cataract appears to be safe and technically feasible.