Laser Cataract Surgery (LenSx )for St. Petersburg & Clearwater, FL
Laser cataract surgery with the LenSx laser by Alcon and Optiwave Refractive Analysis (ORA) system improves visual outcomes for patients. This clinically proven femtosecond laser technology offers reproducible and more accurate results compared to manual procedures that rely on the surgeon’s skill alone for incisions and intraocular lens (IOL) placement. LenSx automates some of the most technical and challenging steps of cataract surgery with an image-guided laser that provides a new level of accuracy.
St. Michaels Eye & Laser Institute in Largo, Florida, is proud to offer LenSx laser cataract surgery. Our Ophthalmologists have performed over 40,000 cataract surgeries and employ the latest technologies for eye surgeries and treatments that provide optimal patient safety and excellent eye health and vision.
WHAT IS LENSX FEMTOSECOND LASER?
LenSx femtosecond laser allows for an all-laser technique for cataract removal and IOL placement, increasing patient safety and providing unparalleled precision compared to conventional cataract surgery. The laser uses a beam of energy to create incisions in the cornea and lens capsule and breaks apart the clouded natural lens without a surgical blade. Combined with the ORA SYSTEM®, LenSx laser cataract surgery offers patients the most customized vision correction available for repeatable outcomes and accurate IOL positioning.
Patient Education Video
LenSx is the most advanced technology for laser cataract surgery, and most patients enjoy clear images for near vision, distance vision or both. The femtosecond laser uses ocular coherence tomography (OCT) to take detailed photos of the internal structures of the eye, which guides the LenSx laser to form incisions in the cornea and lens capsule.
WHAT IS THE ORA SYSTEM®?
Optiwave Refractive Analysis provides real-time calculations for IOL placement during cataract surgery. The traditional method relies on previous measurements for positioning the intraocular lens implant, but this intraoperative aberrometer significantly enhances visual outcomes by updating measurements during the procedure. The ORA SYSTEM® uses wavefront aberrometry data to analyze the eye’s refractive power, including axis, cylinder and sphere measurements.
Patient Education Video
HOW LENSX IMPROVES UPON TRADITIONAL CATARACT SURGERY
Traditional cataract surgery uses a surgical blade (scalpel) to make an incision in the cornea and a second, circular incision in the lens capsule to access the cataract. The conventional method involves the Ophthalmologist looking through a special microscope to create these tiny incisions with a handheld blade. Laser cataract surgery with LenSx uses a femtosecond laser to make these incisions.
LenSx improves the precision of cataract surgery incisions, particularly for capsulorhexis. Capsulorhexis (continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis) is the process of removing the outer layer of the lens capsule to give the eye surgeon access to the clouded lens. This circular incision is the most critical step of cataract surgery. Traditional cataract surgery depends on a steady hand and excellent surgical skill to create the capsulorhexis, and even the world’s best surgeons are unable to form a perfect circle every time. LenSx makes the capsulorhexis precisely and accurately for every surgery, removing human error from the equation and giving surgeons ideal access to the cataract for lens removal and IOL placement.
LenSx also improves the way the natural lens is segmented in the conventional procedure. Standard cataract surgery utilizes a phacoemulsification machine. The machine uses ultrasonic energy to disperse the dense cataract into an oil-like consistency (emulsify), for easier removal. The goal of phacoemulsification is to use the least amount of ultrasonic energy to remove the cataract. Laser cataract surgery uses pulses from the LenSx laser to fragment the lens into easily dissected pieces with little to no ultrasonic power. LenSx technology reduces phacoemulsification use by 43% and the length of time it’s needed by 51%.
Once the cataract (clouded lens) is removed, the chosen IOL is folded and placed in the lens capsule. The ORA SYSTEM® provides real-time data for optimal placement and IOL power.
Traditional cataract surgery also provides some astigmatism correction performed with small incisions by hand. LenSx offers more accurate astigmatism correction with laser precision.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION AT ST. MICHAEL’S EYE & LASER INSTITUTE
If you struggle with cataract symptoms and impaired vision from the clouded lens, contact our Ophthalmologists in Largo, Florida, to discuss LenSx laser cataract surgery. Call (727) 585-2200 or book an appointment online.