Mariacher S, et al. - During femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, researchers assessed the impact of preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and the vacuum level on IOP. Using the VICTUS femtosecond laser platform (Bausch&Lomb, Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH, Germany), intraocular pressure was evaluated in 40 enucleated porcine eyes by intracameral manometry prior, during and after vacuum application. Twenty combinations of different preoperative IOP levels (12, 16, 20 and 24 mmHg) and different vacuum levels (350–550 mbar) were examined. Investigators found that preoperative IOP has been a stronger predictive factor for intraoperative IOP rise than the applied vacuum level. Measurements and critical interpretation of preoperative IOP in a preliminary examination may assist to estimate the individual danger of a substantial increase in IOP during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery and may assist in chosen cases to take early countermeasures. In order to verify these findings, further studies are required because of the porcine ex vivo model.