A recent study of the effects of intacs on patients treated for keratoconus summarized that intacs are useful in the management of keratoconus. It concluded the careful patient selection and a complete explanation of surgical objectives is vital to provide the best possible care for patients with keratoconus.
Corneal transplants are a radical surgery that often requires more than 1 year and long-term medication to provide satisfactory results. Patients find the surgery to be unpleasant and the low availability of donor corneas makes corneal transplants to be difficult surgeries overall.
Intacs, on the other hand, is a surgery with minimal risk and a high chance for a rewarding outcome. Keratoconus patients can often notice immediate visual benefits to keratoconus surgery using intacs. Results of the long-term study showed that 20% of patients had more than 3 lines improvements in visual acuity. 88% of patients has some improvement in visual acuity.
These results are remarkable. Intraoperative complications are rare and corneal topography shows decreased irregularity and improved quality of surface wetting.
Contact lenses have been used commonly to treat keratoconus patients but contact lenses have shown a tendency to cause a worsening in the cornea with long-term use and often result in neovascularization of the cornea.
Intacs are also reversible, although it is rare that an intac patient would choose to reverse a procedure that was providing improved quality of vision.
If you have been diagnosed with keratoconus or suspect possible keratoconus, contact Turner Eye Institute and our counselors can schedule an evaluation to determine the best treatment for you personally.
