Femtosecond laser application for the anterior segment surgeries

The femtosecond laser employs near-infrared pulses with a pulse duration of 10-15 second to cut tissue with great accuracy,safety and minimal collateral damage.It is first used in the cutting of laser in situ keratomileusis flaps,and further developed into all-in-one femtosecond refractive surgery in recent years.It has also been used to create various patterns of incisions in keratoplasty and to perform the capsulotomy and lens fragmentation in cataract surgery.Though still in laboratory study,femtosecond-assisted glaucoma surgery such as sclerostomy and iridotomy is another potential application with a promising future. Key words: femtosecond laser; refractive surgery; keratoplasty; cataract; glaucoma