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Study: Corneal rings safe and effective for myopia
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SAN FRANCISCO — Intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS) are a safe and effective means of correcting low myopia, according to a study in the September issue of Ophthalmology.
The study reports 2-year outcomes of Food and Drug Administration phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials, in which 452 patients were enrolled at 11 investigational sites. After ICRS implantation, 55% of patients saw 20/16 or better, 76% saw 20/20 or better and 97% saw 20/40 or better. Side effects in a small number of patients included fluctuating vision, double images, glare, halos and difficulty with night vision.
Corneal ring segments — two plastic half rings surgically placed in the periphery of the cornea — “are designed to improve the outcome of corneal refractive surgery by reducing the effects of corneal wound healing and by maintaining the spherical shape of the cornea,” said first author David J. Schanzlin, MD.
The ICRS technology, known commercially as Intacs, was recently acquired by Addition Technology from the bankrupt KeraVision. Clinical studies of the ICRS are ongoing in Europe, Mexico, and Singapore for correcting myopia, compound myopia, astigmatism, keratoconus, and complications after LASIK.