Operating times of experienced cataract surgeons beginning femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery

Purpose: To compare the time a patient spent in the operating room during femtosecond laser-assisted with that during traditional cataract surgery.

Setting: Academic tertiary referral center.

Design: Retrospective review.

Methods: Data from 3 attending surgeons who operated in the room that housed the femtosecond laser were collected from the first 6 months of the femtosecond laser's use. The time in the operating room was measured from when the patients entered the room to the time they left. Traditional-approach cases done in the room were compared with cases performed using the femtosecond laser (Catalys Precision Laser System).

Results: During the first 6 months, 420 cataract cases were performed in the operating room housing the femtosecond laser; the femtosecond laser was used in 162 cases (38.6%). Femtosecond laser-assisted surgeries were 11.1 to 12.1 minutes longer than traditional surgeries (P<.0001). When only routine cases were included in the comparison, the femtosecond laser-assisted approach remained 11.6 to 13.4 minutes longer (P<.0001).

Conclusion: The additional steps required to perform femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery resulted in a statistically significant longer time per case than the time required with a traditional approach.

Financial disclosures: Dr. Culbertson is a consultant to Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., and Optimedica Corp. Dr. Yoo is a consultant to Alcon Laboratories, Inc., and Abbott Medical Optics, Inc.. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.