A review of femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery for Hawai'i.

Hawai'i has had the first US Food and Drug Administration approved femtosecond laser (LenSx as shown in figure) for cataract surgery since early 2012, a brand new laser technology for modern cataract surgery in Hawai'i. This article intends to evaluate the cost, safety, efficacy, advantages, and limitations of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery through a review of the literature for the public of Hawai'i. A search was conducted using keywords to screen and select articles from PubMed. In addition, recent published peer reviewed articles pertinent to the femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery were selected and reviewed. Safety and efficacy of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery were demonstrated in the literature, with improvements in anterior capsulotomy, phacofragmentation, and corneal incision. However, there were limitations within these studies which included small sample size and short-term follow-up. In addition, cost-benefit analysis has not yet been addressed. Long-term studies to compare the complication rate and visual outcome between the laser and conventional cataract surgery are warranted.