Intraocular Pressure on Postoperative Day 1 After Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Phacoemulsification
Narrative Responses:
Purpose
To assess the intraocular pressure (IOP) between patients undergoing femtosecond laser assisted phacoemulsification and and compare it to conventional surgery on day 1 after the surgical procedure.
Methods
Retrospective chart review of patients that underwent routine phacoemulsification between August and December 2012. The reviewed charts were divided in two groups: femtosecond laser assisted and conventional cataract surgery. Intraocular pressure (IOP)on day 1 after surgery was evaluated. Statistical analysis comparing the 2 groups was done using t-test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
185 eyes of 119 subjects were included. 107 eyes had femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery and 78 conventional surgery. Mean age 68.9 ±6.1 in the femto group and 70.6 ±7.1 years in the conventional group. Postoperative day 1, mean IOP = 21.4 ±8.5 mmHg in the laser group compared to 22.7 ± 7.1 mmHg in the conventional group (P < 0.278). No statistically significant differences in IOP were observed among the groups. In the laser group, 7.4% (9) required treatment due to IOP higher than 32 mmHg while 8.9% (7) in the conventional group needed treatment.
Conclusion
The use of femtosecond laser during routine phacoemulsification did not show an increased IOP during postoperative day 1 compared to conventional phacoemulsification.