Comparison of femtosecond laser assistance and manual trephination in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in the treatment of keratoconus: a meta-analysis.

For keratoconus patients, both F-DALK and M-DALK are safe and efficacious. Compared with M-DALK, F-DALK can provide better early visual acuity and reduce the intraoperative perforation rate, and its likely improvements to long-term visual quality and endothelial cell preservation warrant further investigation. Additionally, the two techniques seem to be comparable regarding refractive outcomes and other complications.