Dr. Hazem Hamzawi Chief of Cataract & Glaucoma Departments Magrabi Hospitals & Centers Jeddah Ophthalmology is one of the medical fields that has been benefited immensely from femtosecond laser technology. This technology is being used in vision correction procedures and corneal surgeries. Since more than one year, this technology is being used in cataract surgery. This was one of the long cherished dreams of ophthalmologists, a dream, about which a lot of discussions, researches and lab experiments have been carried out. That dream has now become a reality so as to take advantage of a large number of people who are suffering from cataract. This makes cataract surgery easier, and affordable with an almost guaranteed outcome. Femtosecond laser is the latesttechnology in cataract surgery. This technology is to assist or replace several aspects of the manual cataract surgery. These include the creation of the initial surgical incisions in the cornea, the creation of the capsulotomy, and the initial fragmenting of the lens. This laser may also produce incisions within the peripheral cornea to aid the correction of pre-existing astigmatism.This technology, which has been applied widely, is more precise, reproducible and safe with fewer likely collateral tissue effects. It is the better substitute for incisions on the outer wall of the eye in more precise way without any stitching so as to achieve greater speed in healing. We are keen to introduce the latest technology available in any part of the world. We have the honor to bring in the first equipment using this technology in the Middle East more than two years ago. It also helped minimizing the use of ultrasound and the time span for treatment. The patient now feels more comfortable and relaxed. Laser cataract surgery has been designed to provide better visual outcome and reduce the overall risk to the patient during surgery. Thereis no doubt that femtosecond laser technology has transformed the cataract surgery into the highest standard with transplant of lenses. This was instrumental in bringing out giant qualitative leap in the cataract treatment. I advise patients that they shall be precise in choosing the medical facility and the surgeon while taking a decision to undergo surgical procedure. The hospital shall be the one which enjoys excellent medical reputation and rich tradition in ophthalmology. An ideal example for such a hospital is Magrabi Hospitals & Centers. Before introducing the technology, the hospital had made available of the sufficient training for its all cataract consultant ophthalmologists after sending them to those countries where this technology was applied in the best and successful manner. The Magrabi Group is determined to introduce femtosecond laser technology in all its branches within the Kingdom and outside.
