Intacs stabilized ectasia in post-LASIK corneas for 5 years

Corneas that developed ectasia after LASIK were stabilized for at least 5 years with the use of intrastromal corneal ring implants, according to a recently published small, retrospective study.

Patients implanted with Intacs ring segments maintained refractive stability from 1 year to 5 years' follow-up, with no evidence of progressive time-dependent ectasia, the study authors said. Intacs intrastromal corneal ring segments were made by KeraVision at the time the study commenced. The technology has since been acquired by Addition Technology.

George D. Kymionis, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Crete, Greece, reviewed the long-term refractive and mechanical stability of eight post-LASIK ectatic eyes that were implanted with the Intacs ring segments.

Intacs were implanted at least 12 months after patients had undergone LASIK. Surgeons implanted two segments in each eye using the normal technique for correcting myopia with the implants — one placed nasally and one temporally. The thickness of the Intacs segments was based on the desired correction and the spherical equivalent refraction, the study authors said.

No intraoperative or late postoperative complications were seen. At 5 years' follow-up, mean spherical equivalent refraction had decreased significantly, from –5.47 to –2.56 (P = .01). By 1 year postop, all eyes had achieved refractive stability, and stability was maintained through final follow-up.

By 1 year follow-up, seven of eight eyes (87.5%) had improved uncorrected visual acuity compared with vision before the implants, which was 20/100 or worse in all eyes. Only one eye with advanced ectasia had no improvement in best corrected visual acuity, despite having a reduction in spherical equivalent refractive error, the authors said.

Keratometry measurements also significantly decreased from preoperative values at all follow-up points, the authors noted.

The study is published in the November issue of Ophthalmology.