I
t's certainly been a challenging year for eye
surgery centers, many of which were
forced to close for several weeks during the
initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The adoption of new tools, technologies
and medications for enhancing surgical outcomes
continues unabated, however, according to results
of our 2020 cataract technology reader survey. Let's
take a closer look at what the responses reveal.
• Femtosecond laser. Use of femtosecond
lasers is now reported by a majority of respondents
— up from 40% in our 2018 survey to 60% this year.
In terms of the percentage of cases for which sur-
gery centers use the laser, almost 40% said they are
in the 26% to 50% range, while 45% said they use it
on less than a quarter of their patients. More than
60% of respondents expect laser cataract proce-
dures to grow "moderately" at their centers over
A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 3 5
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor
LOOKING INTO LASER Survey respondents reported increased use of femtosecond lasers for cataract surgery, but a significant minority still has not embraced the technology.
Looking at the Latest Trends in Cataract Surgery
Our annual reader survey reveals ophthalmic facilities continue to
embrace new technologies even as COVID-19 impacts case volumes
and patient confidence.
