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Femtosecond Lasers: Expanding The Premium Cataract Surgery Market

Laser Cataract User Survey Shows Strong Initial Uptake

When femtosecond lasers for cataract surgery hit the market in early 2011, it was apparent that that they would bring unprecedented precision to the procedure. The key questions surrounding this emerging field quickly shifted to commercial viability: how would US cataract surgeons and facilities be able to pay for this expensive new technology in a procedure that is reimbursed almost entirely by Medicare, and therefore subject to strict billing limitations? A survey of early laser adopters in the US, detailed below, suggests that surgeons are successfully navigating these regulatory hurdles and incorporating the new lasers into their practices.

Femtosecond (FS) lasers represent the first truly disruptive technology in cataract surgery since the introduction of ultrasonic phacoemulsification in the late 1960s and foldable intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the 1980s. Developments in this arena have come at a rapid pace: laser cataract technology was formally introduced to the ophthalmic community only three years ago, in late 2009, and the first lasers became commercially available in the beginning of 2011. (See Also see "Laser Cataract Surgery: Sorting Out The Business Case" - Medtech Insight, 16 December, 2011..)

Because it became apparent very early on that FS lasers would bring unprecedented precision to cataract surgery, the key questions...

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