Safety of Femtosecond Laser- Assisted Cataract Surgery Performed by Surgeons in Training

laser-assisted cataract surgery has grown in popularity among ophthalmologists as a novel technique with the potential to reduce phacoemulsifi-cation energy requirements.1,2 However, early adoption of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery by expe-rienced cataract surgeons has been associated with a significant learning curve.3 Roberts et al. reported high-er complication rates in the first 200 cases of femtosec-ond laser-assisted cataract surgery compared to 1,300 subsequent cases at a single high-volume practice.3 Given the challenges faced by experienced surgeons adopting femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, it is unclear whether it can be safely performed by resi-dents in training. We describe our experience with in-corporating femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in resident and fellow surgical training. After receiving Institutional Review Board approval, we performed a retrospective case–control study of resident and fellow outcomes with femtosecond laser-assisted versus manual cataract surgery. All cataract surgeries performed at our institution from June 2012 to September 2013 by third-year residents and fel-lows with no prior femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery experience were identified. Cases performed without a femtosecond laser were included as manual cases. Cases in which wound construction, anterior capsulotomy, and lens fragmentation were performed using the LenSx femtosecond laser platform (Alco