Proper Understanding of Full Femtosecond Laser Surgery

  Deep cutting of corneal refractive surgery has entered the “femtosecond era”, and more and more laser refractive surgery is being performed with the femtosecond laser. The use of femtosecond lasers to create corneal flaps for excimer laser in situ keratomileusis, often referred to as “semifemtosecond surgery”, is gradually gaining ground in clinical practice for its high safety and predictability. The full name of “full femtosecond surgery” is femtosecond laser stromal lens removal, which is achieved by removing the lens completed by the femtosecond laser, and represents the latest advancement in the field of corneal refractive surgery. From a professional point of view, semifemtosecond technology uses a femtosecond laser to create a flap in the cornea and lift it off, then uses an excimer laser to cut the corneal stroma and reduce the corneal curvature to achieve the corrective effect. The entire procedure requires both the femtosecond laser and excimer laser devices. Full femtosecond technology uses a femtosecond laser to create a precise refractive lens, which is then removed in its entirety. The entire procedure can be completed with only one femtosecond laser device.  ”Full Femtosecond surgery is based on the VisuMax Femtosecond laser, which uses a femtosecond laser to scan the layers of the cornea twice at different depths to separate a layer of corneal lens tissue and remove it. ReLEx is divided into two types: femtosecond laser lens removal and small incision lens removal, depending on whether the anterior corneal stroma is lifted or not. It does not show more obvious advantages than “semi-femtosecond surgery”. Currently, the SMILE procedure is more commonly used in clinical practice. The entire lens-making process takes only 20 seconds, and the surgeon uses special instruments to remove the lens through a small smile-like incision to complete the myopic laser surgery. The entire procedure is fast and safe. Because it does not involve the production of a corneal flap, it avoids the risk of flap-related complications and solves the problem of damage to the corneal flap from accidental eye impacts, making it especially suitable for sports enthusiasts and special occupational groups such as the military and police.  The advantages of full femtosecond surgery also include: 1. The damage to the corneal tissue structure can be minimized, and the inflammatory response of the tissue will be lighter after surgery, so the degree of regression will be limited; with the gradual increase of the laser frequency, the damage will become smaller and smaller; 2. The parameters of the surgery can be designed in advance, including the diameter of the lens, the angle of the lateral incision, the position and width of the incision, etc., truly “Femtosecond laser can achieve precise positioning in the corneal layers, making the lens smoother and allowing patients to obtain perfect visual quality; 4. The intraoperative intraocular pressure fluctuations are more moderate, reducing the interference with the vitreoretinal membrane and reducing the risk of posterior segment complications; 6.  The surgery must have indications, what kind of degree is suitable for “full femtosecond surgery”? For conventional myopia correction, mainly for moderate to high degrees (the current correction range does not exceed 1000 degrees), excluding contraindications to laser surgery are suitable for this surgery. The surgery is good for low to medium astigmatism, but the preoperative astigmatism should not be too high. In addition, “full femtosecond surgery” requires a high degree of intraoperative central positioning and therefore requires close cooperation from the patient.  As the “full femtosecond surgery” is carried out more and more widely, the technical equipment is upgraded and clinical experience is accumulated, the safety and effectiveness of the surgery will be further improved, and in the long term, ReLEx “full femtosecond surgery” shows a good application prospect.