As with traditional cataract surgery, an incision is made in the cornea; however, in femtosecond laser cataract surgery the cut is made using a special laser rather than a surgical knife. The laser is programmed with the exact depth and size of the incision, so the procedure is extremely precise.

The laser then makes an opening in the capsule bag (known as a capsulotomy) that surrounds the lens allowing access to the cloudy lens protein which forms the cataract. In manual cataract surgery, this is done with a needle but in femtosecond laser cataract surgery the laser is used, for a more accurate result.

Finally, the cataract is fragmented using the femtosecond laser instead of an old style ultrasonic device with final removal performed by the surgeon

Femtosecond laser surgery enables surgeons to pre-plan the exact locations of their incisions down to micron level, dramatically improving accuracy and reducing the risk of error.

Laser cataract surgery reduces the need for multiple instrumentation during the cataract procedure and eliminates the need for blades.

Using a femtosecond laser minimises the ultrasound energy required in the removal of the cataractous lens.

Laser surgery increases the stability of the replacement lens (due to the precision of the laser in making the hole in the capsule bag).

Using a laser for extra precision means that the cut made in the cornea is more likely to be self-sealing after the operation. Healing is also likely to be stronger.

Premium intra-ocular lenses implanted during surgery are now extremely effective. Femtosecond laser cataract surgery allows the visual benefits of these newer lenses to be realised fully.