Femto face-off

Eyeworld

Experts argued the advantages of using competing femtosecond lasers in a face-off of the different technologies Monday. Explaining the basic differences between the currently available lasers, N. Timothy Peters, M.D., Portsmouth, N.H., said that the current IntraLase FS and Femtec systems (Technolas Perfect Vision, St. Louis) use higher-energy, lower-frequency pulses than the Femto LDV laser (Ziemer, Port, Switzerland) and the VisuMax (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, Calif.) falls somewhere in between.
Dominating market use at 91%, the newest generation of IntraLase is faster with lower energy and tighter spot separation, therefore producing better results than before, said. Daniel Durrie, M.D., Overland Park, Kan. With over 350,000 procedures having been performed using the IntraLase, there is substantial evidence for its safety and efficacy.
Arguing for the VisuMax, Dan Z. Reinstein, M.D., M.A., N.Y., said the technology provides very high flap thickness accuracy and reproducibility, fast treatment outcomes, excellent visual outcomes in combination with the MEL80 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, Calif.), while extremely user-friendly for surgeons and affording the patient a more comfortable experience.
The formation of an opaque bubble layer (OBL) within the cornea during flap creation is a common issue with femtosecond laser technology, said Dr. Reinstein, as it can interfere with the ability of eye-tracking systems to function properly. The VisuMax, he said, produces a very thin layer of OBL, which he and colleagues have found dissipates in the time between flap-creation. There is no time wasted in the operating theatre and an average treatment time for bilateral LASIK is 12 minutes with the VisuMax and MEL80.
Speaking about the Ziemer LDV, Richard Foulkes, M.D., Chicago, said the lack of an epithelial edge gap is one advantage the technology has over the IntraLase FS. In addition, Dr. Foulkes said the technology produces no OBL or transient light sensitivity (TLS).