Allogenic corneal inlays a simple, safe approach to presbyopia, mild hyperopia
Key takeaways:
- Allogenic corneal inlays are highly biocompatible and easy to implant.
- They offer a simple, safe solution for emmetropic presbyopia and mild hyperopia.
ATHENS, Greece — Allogenic corneal inlays can be a safe solution for mild hyperopia and emmetropic presbyopia, according to an expert at the ESCRS winter meeting.
“There is a huge population of presbyopic patients who ask for freedom from reading spectacles, but we don’t want to disturb distance vision with laser surgery and don’t want the risks of an intraocular approach,” Aylin Kılıç, MD, told Healio.
Corneal allogenic inlay implantation — or collagen implantation, as Kılıç refers to the technique — offers patients an organic, biological tissue addition technology that is highly biocompatible and well tolerated in the long term, as shown by 6 years of follow-up data. The tissue is tested, prepared and sterilized by the VisionGift eye bank and then excimer laser shaped, packaged and commercialized by Allotex. Inlays can then be stored for up to 2 years.
“The inlay is implanted under a LASIK flap at a depth of 110 µm. It is so thin and transparent that it is hardly visible, and we carry it using the surface tension of the water within a metal ring. We center it on the pupil, and once it is placed on the cornea, we dry the water out of the ring with a sponge,” Kılıç said. “If it is not well centered, we can add just a drop of water to lift it slightly and change its location. We absorb the excess water again with a sponge, let the surface dry and then close the flap.”
So far, Kılıç has implanted approximately 150 hyperopic and presbyopic patients with the inlays, and they are satisfied with their vision overall. Three-year results of a study of 25 patients conducted by Klç and colleagues showed that allogenic presbyopic inlay implantation offered a significant increase in depth of focus. A new multicenter study has been ongoing for 4 years in Europe.
There have been no cases of vision loss, and all patients gained near vision and are spectacle independent. No side effects such as glare and halos have been reported.
“I highly recommend this surgery in patients aged up to 55 years because it is simple, fast and easily reversible,” Kılıç said. “In 1 minute, you can open the flap and remove the inlay if needed. It is also a wonderful option for patients with previous refractive surgery, all the more if that surgery was LASIK because we can just reopen the old flap.”
Reference:
- Keskin Perk FFN, et al. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2023;doi:10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000001270.
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Kılıç A. Decision-making in refractive surgery. Presented at: ESCRS winter meeting; Feb. 28-March 2, 2025; Athens, Greece.
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