Apr 3 2009
During the Congress of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Carl Zeiss Meditec is introducing the next generation of its VisuMax® femtosecond laser.
Through an increase in the pulse repetition rate, the new system enhances the precision of the therapy, shortens treatment times and further improves patient comfort.
In addition, VisuMax can now be used for an additional therapeutic procedure: corneal transplantation (keratoplasty)*. This opens up a new clinical application of the system as a therapy laser and expands its possible field of use outside the context of refractive surgery.
“With the development of the new VisuMax, we have fulfilled the pledge we have made to doctors to further expand the major potential of femtosecond technology and place this at their disposal in an innovative system for ophthalmology in a very short time,” Dr. Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec, explained.
“The major advantage of the 500 kHz upgrade is that it allows for shorter treatment times with increased laser spot density,” said John Dishler, MD, of Dishler Laser Institute in Greenwood Village, CO. “Clinically, this produces two significant benefits. First, the higher repetition rate had reduced the critical phase of the procedure, the actual laser emission time, even further. Thus the patient is only required to remain still for a short amount of time. Secondly, the higher spot density results in even more precise tissue separation.”
With about 120,000 procedures a year around the globe, keratoplasty is the most frequently performed organ transplantation. The use of femtosecond laser technology allows precise definition of the incision form and depth, therefore permitting less invasive surgical techniques.
* Penetrating keratoplasty is not currently available with the VisuMax Femtosecond Laser in the US. This new indication is the subject of a pending 510(k), and will require additional or modified software that is not currently available for sale in the US.