At Baltimore Washington Eye Center, bladeless laser cataract surgery is performed by cataract surgeon Arturo Betancourt, M.D. with the Alcon® LenSx® Femtosecond Laser. Cataract surgery is a technically complex type of eye surgery requiring tremendous surgical skill for a number of steps that up until recently have been performed manually. Today, through the combined efforts of laser physicists, engineers, and eye surgeons we are able to apply the precision and reproducibility of the femtosecond laser to cataract surgery.

As a result of the many advances in cataract surgery procedures and technology, patients no longer have to wait for cataracts to “ripen” before electing to have them removed and replaced with permanent clear lens implants and then returning to an active, everyday lifestyle. With bladeless laser cataract surgery at Baltimore Washington Eye Center we are able to take cataract surgery and lens implants to a new level of precision and safety for our patients.

For almost all of our patients, cataract surgery can be performed in the comfort of our onsite Baltimore Washington Eye Surgery Center outpatient surgery center with “eye drop anesthesia” and through a very tiny incision that doesn’t even require stitches. These techniques, along with advanced technology intraocular lens implants, allow most patients to achieve their desired vision correction goals and resume their lifestyles in just a couple of days after their surgery. Even with modern cataract surgery being remarkably safe and effective, Dr. Betancourt is constantly seeking ways to make procedures for cataract removal safer, more effective and even more predictable through the use of advanced technology.

The advantage of bladeless laser cataract surgery at Baltimore Washington Eye Center is that this procedure allows Dr. Betancourt to consolidate and convert many skill intensive steps of the cataract surgery procedure into a more predictable procedure that benefits from enhanced laser-created, surgeon-controlled precision, resulting in even further improved clinical results.

From a surgical perspective, Dr. Betancourt believes that incorporation of the LenSx® Femtosecond Laser into the cataract surgery and lens implant procedure is beneficial for:

Creating "perfect" incisions in terms of size and architecture, which is important in order to have the incision seal properly without the use of stitches and to prevent infection.

Creating a perfectly centered and sized "capsulotomy", which is the "opening" prepared in the front of the crystalline lens through which the cloudy lens material is removed.

Liquefying, softening or "chopping" the crystalline lens, allowing easier removal of the cloudy material.

Creating the possibility of precise corneal incisions, such as might be performed with Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI), to correct pre-existing astigmatism.

If you, a family member, or friend wishes to learn more about laser cataract surgery or wish to be checked for cataracts please contact us to arrange a cataract evaluation by calling Baltimore Washington Eye Center at 800-495-3937.