New registry based study to compare femto cataract surgery with conventional phaco

The ESCRS has launched the first study to directly compare the outcomes of femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) with the outcomes achieved in standard phacoemulsification, Paul Rosen FRCS, Oxford UK told an international meeting on anterior segment surgery in Verona, Italy. 'This study will provide the first opportunity to evaluate the outcomes of femto-phaco in a coordinated, multinational study and provide comparison with matched patients undergoing routine phaco,' said Dr Rosen. The study will utilise the EUREQUO platform (www.eurequo.org) which was developed by the ESCRS and co-financed by the European Union in 2008. Dr Rosen emphasised that this study is not a clinical trial. The study will compare the outcomes of two different treatment groups in terms of visual acuity, surgically induced astigmatism, complications and biometric error. Individual surgeons, clinics and patients are anonymous in the database to facilitate honest reporting. To avoid bias from a learning curve all contributing surgeons must have previously completed 50 femto surgeries. The study will include all available platforms for FLAC surgery but will not identify the platform in the database. The study is being funded entirely by the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons without the participation of Industry. All participating surgeons and clinics will be acknowledged at the presentation of the results at the XXXII Congress of the ESCRS in London in 2014 and in any further journal publications. Those wishing to participate should contact Carol Fitzpatrick at carol.fitzpatrick@escrs.org