Laser energy has begun to supplant the surgeon's scalpel in New Zealand during operations to replace cloudy lenses in the eyes - cataracts.
Eye specialists say this is a major advance in a common type of surgery.
The Eye Institute, a private sector clinic in Auckland, was the country's first eye clinic to start doing the "bladeless" cataract surgery, using an ultra-short-pulse "femtosecond" laser machine, followed by one in Christchurch. None has been installed in public hospitals.
A third clinic, Auckland Eye, has just received its laser cataract surgery machine and eye surgeons will start treating patients with it next month.
Some degree of cataract - progressive cloudiness of the eye's crystalline lens - is considered a normal part of ageing. The condition causes a progressive blurring of vision. The risk of cataracts is greater for diabetics and those with elevated exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
