Editorial May 2017 - FLACS: Where are we ? - Prof Thomas Kohnen

We have many questions to answer and need more trials before 
we establish a clear verdict on the efficacy of the procedure

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How quickly the time goes! It is already May and in five months’ time we will convene the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS in Lisbon, Portugal. I am delighted to accept the invitation to write the editorial in this issue of EuroTimes which looks at some of the hot topics we will be discussing in Lisbon. The Cover Story reviews the progress of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS), almost 10 years after my friend and colleague Zoltan Z Nagy performed the first femtosecond laser-cut anterior capsulotomy in a human patient in August 2008. So where are we now? As Howard Larkin points out in a very thought-provoking article, FLACS looked like it could be the biggest innovation in cataract surgery since foldable intraocular lenses (IOLs) 20 years earlier. But as FLACS enters its 10th year, we still have many questions to answer and we will need more trials before we can establish a clear verdict on the long-term efficacy of the procedure. My colleague Rudy MMA Nuijts suggests that for routine cataract surgery FLACS is not a game changer in the way that phaco was, but he also notes that it is still in its infancy and is likely to develop further in years to come. Large-scale randomised trials are needed to clarify the issue, so it will be interesting to see where we are in another five years’ time. EuroTimes, as the official news magazine of the ESCRS, will play a major part not only in reporting on the latest developments in FLACS, but also looking at the bigger picture of how cataract and refractive surgery evolves in the future. Even for the most experienced surgeon, there are often more questions to be asked than answers to be delivered. For that reason, we are introducing a new series, “Ask The Experts”, where we ask readers of the magazine to put questions forward to our International Editorial Board. Our Editorial Board includes many of the key opinion leaders in ophthalmology and I think this new feature will be a valuable addition to the magazine. As chairman of the ESCRS Publications Committee and European Editor of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, I am also very pleased to announce that our journal has been redesigned to make it easier to read and more attractive to our readers. The journal is the official publication of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the ESCRS and the continued co-operation of the two societies will ensure the continued success of the publication. Finally, I would like to pay a warm tribute to my good friend and colleague Rudy Nuijts who earlier this year stepped down from his position as Treasurer of the ESCRS. I have the honour of succeeding Prof Nuijts as treasurer and would like to thank him for the excellent work he has done during his term in office. His will be big shoes to fill, but I look forward to taking on the challenge of this very prestigious position. *Prof Thomas Kohnen is Treasurer of the ESCRS, Chairman of the ESCRS Publications Committee and European Editor of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
Tags: FLACS