Dry eye risk similar after femtosecond laser-assisted and manual cataract surgery

The risk of postoperative dry eye was found to be similar between patients undergoing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and manual cataract surgery (MCS), according to a study.

Researchers analyzed dry eye parameters, including ocular surface discomfort index (OSDI), tear secretion (tear meniscus height, Schirmer’s test), microscopic ocular surface damage (fluorescein staining), and tear stability (first and average tear breakup time), at baseline and postoperative day one, week one, one month, and three months from 6 peer-reviewed studies including 611 eyes.

There were increased, pooled standardized mean differences in OSDI, tear secretion, tear film instability, and microscopic damage on postoperative day one. Dry eye was also found to worsen during postoperative week one. However, by postoperative month 3, dry eye resolved and returned to near baseline levels.

Patients undergoing FLACS had more severe dry eye parameters but they were not statistically significant, and the impact of dry eye was approximately the same in FLACS and MCS at postoperative month 3.

Reference
Chen WT, Chen YY, Hung MC. Dry Eye Following Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery: A Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med. 2022;11(21):6228. doi: 10.3390/jcm11216228. PMID: 36362459.