Femtosecond Lasers in Ophthalmology : (Precise Cutting Using Adaptive Optics is Pushing the Limits)

Presbyopia is the most common visual defect of the human eye. Beginning with the age of 45 years, most people lose the ability to focus on near objects due to the loss of accommodation ability of the crystalline lens. Within the research network IKARUS, a femtosecond laser system has been realized, which is able to generate microscopic sliding into the crystalline lens, to restore the accommodative capacity of the eye. The surgical procedure only takes a few seconds and is non-invasive. As a consequence, there is no risk of infection for the patient and the pro cedure can be carried out in non-sterile environment. In addition, other clinical applications with extremely high market potential were evaluated in the context of ex vivo investigations. It could be shown that, using adaptive optics, it is possible to create precise cuts even in the posterior segment of the eye (retina) and thus open up a multitude of new treatment options.