the next two years. Interestingly, however, more
than 80% of centers that aren't using femto lasers
say it's unlikely they'll be performing laser cataract
surgery in the next two years, which indicates a
leveling out of the market.
"We've been performing femtosecond cataract
surgery for eight years, and our volume and per-
centages have been steady over time," says one
respondent. Another predicts laser
cataract procedures will grow sig-
nificantly in their facility because
"patients are more informed and
want the best outcomes." A nurse
manager at a Michigan surgery
center cited laser's virtues as
"ease of use, less trauma to the
eye and better outcomes," and
adds their surgeons love it.
However, a significant minority
has yet to embrace the technolo-
gy. "We did perform femto laser-
assisted cataract surgery for a
year and found our results were
just as good without it," says
Susan Marks, MS, BS, administra-
tor at Augusta (Ga.) Eye Surgery.
Dianna Reed, BA, administrator at
Sani Eye Surgery Center in
Templeton, Calif., says it's "faster
for my doctors to perform surgery
without the laser." An administra-
tor at a New York City surgery
center says they simply don't have
room for the platform.
Still others are on the fence.
Kathy Young, RN, BS, director of
nursing and administrator at the
Colorado Eye Institute's Peak
Surgery Center in Colorado
Springs, says she expects the vol-
ume of laser procedures to grow
only moderately at her facility
because of the extra cost associ-
ated with the procedure.
• IV-free surgery. Usage of
"under the tongue" anesthesia as
an alternative to starting an IV remains relatively
minimal, although centers reporting adoption rose
from 9% in 2018 to 16% this year. All told, 63% of
respondents who aren't using IV-free anesthesia said
they don't expect to adopt it over the next two years.
Kim Nordby, RN, MSN, CNOR, administrator at
NovaMed Surgery Center Chicago Northshore, says
"99% of our cases are IV-free."
3 6 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 2 0
COMMON COMBINATION Microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) is performed simultaneously with cataract procedures
at about 70% of surgery centers.
By comparing responses from our 2018 and 2020 surveys, we
found increased usage of femtosecond lasers, IV-free anesthe-
sia and dropless procedures, while usage of intracameral
antibiotics and MIGS stayed roughly level.
2018 2020
Offering femtosecond laser? 40% 60%
Using "IV free" anesthesia? 9% 16%
Offering "dropless"? 31% 45%
Using intracameral antibiotics? 45% 45%
Offering MIGS? 73% 71%
SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery Magazine online survey, July 2020.
Based on 68 responses.
Adoption of
New Procedures and Protocols
