Comparative Study on Changes in Anterior Chamber Cytokines, Oxidative Stress, and Pupil Size After LenSx and Z8 Femtosecond Lasers

Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is rapidly gaining popularity. Among the 5 femtosecond laser platforms available at present for cataract surgery, the Femto LDV Z8 (Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG) is a high-frequency system and delivers energy pulses in nanojoule levels, while Lensx platform (Lensx, Alcon Laboratories, Inc.) used a high-energy laser system. In femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, the laser pretreatment is associated with breakdown of blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) associated with increased aqueous total prostaglandin, cytokines and Oxygen-free radicals concentration. The prostaglandin rise immediately after laser pretreatment is further thought to be the causative factor for the intraoperative miosis in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. However, the analysis of anterior chamber inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and pupil size after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery between different laser platforms has not been investigated in clinical studies. Understanding the cytokine and chemokine changes related to the laser pretreatment provides better insight into the inflammatory response in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.