Femtosecond Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery in The NHS

The Development of Surgical Pathways Using Femto-second Laser Technology to Increase the Efficiency and Safety of Cataract Surgery Within a Public Health Sector Setting - A Randomised Controlled Trial

This study aims to examine the health economic impact of adopting femtosecond laser technology to assist high volume cataract surgery (FLACS) within a state-funded healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must have reduced visual acuity or visual symptoms attributed to the presence of cataract in one or both eyes by the examining ophthalmologist or else must require cataract surgery on clinical grounds other than visual symptoms.
• Patients must be willing to attend for follow-up at 1 month after cataract surgery.
• Patients must be sufficiently fluent in English for informed consent and self-completion of the patient reported outcome questionnaires.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children below the age of 18
• Already enrolled in another study

The principle exclusion criteria relate to clinical contraindications for FLACS, such as:

• Significant corneal opacities
• Small pupils following pharmacological dilatation
• Patients unable to lie sufficiently flat so as to be positioned underneath the laser machine.