COMBINED FEMTOSECOND LASER ASSISTED CATARACT SURGERY AND PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY

Purpose: Determine the benefits and challenges of combined femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with the Catalys® system (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL) and vitrectomy. Design: Retrospective study Methods: We retrospectively reviewed eight consecutive cases of combined femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with the Catalys® system and vitrectomy by a single surgeon. The University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board provided Expedited Review Approval for this project. Results: The study population was 25% male with mean age of 69.1 years, mean pre-operative intraocular pressure of 14.9 mmHg, and mean best corrected visual acuity of 0.44. All patients completed both portions of the combined procedure. There were no complications from the femtosecond laser portion with the mean vacuum time 163s (range 125-320s). Post-operative findings included intraocular pressure rise (25%), and persistent macular edema (38%). The mean intraocular pressure at month one was 16 mmHg with an improvement in mean best-corrected visual acuity to 0.27 (range 0-0.52, p<0.05). Intraocular lens was centered in all cases, and mean manifest refraction spherical equivalent was -0.77 (range -2.75-0), which was not statistically significantly different than the target spherical equivalent of -0.59 (p=0.24). Conclusions: Combined femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with the Catalys® system and vitrectomy was not associated with significant complications, with an overall improvement in visual acuity.