Solutions for Keratoconus
- Intacs® corneal Implants
- Corneal Cross Linking
Intacs® for Keratoconus: Coming to NL soon!
Intacs® Corneal Implants for the correction of myopia and astigmatism in treating patients with Keratoconus
Intacs Corneal Implants
Restoring quality of life through better vision...
Intacs corneal implants are an FDA approved option for the keratoconus patient who is in-between contact lenses and a corneal transplant!
Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease, which causes a thinning of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye. As keratoconus progresses, the quality of one's vision deteriorates and contact lenses or glasses no longer become a satisfactory solution for most people. Historically, a corneal transplant has been the only option – until Intacs!
Intacs corneal implants are an exciting option for individuals experiencing an intolerance to contact lens and are facing a corneal transplant. Intacs corneal implants may be the best possible option to stabilize the cornea, improve vision and potentially defer the need for a corneal transplant.
Intacs corneal implants are indicated for use in the correction of nearsightedness and astigmatism associated with keratoconus where contact lenses and glasses are no longer suitable.
Intacs corneal implants are approved by the FDA for keratoconus under a Humanitarian Device
Exemption (HDEHumanitarian Device: Authorized by U.S. Federal law for use in the treatment of nearsightedness and astigmatism associated with keratoconus. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.
http://www.intacsforkeratoconus.comIntacs Corneal Inserts or Implants: A Proven Treatment for Keratoconus
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/inserts.htmKeratoconus Patients Now have Excellent Treatment Options
Keratoconus is a thinning disorder of the cornea which causes the front surface of the eye to balloon outwards, causes the cornea to become cone shaped and thinner, disrupting the visual function. Treatments include Intacs®, Corneal Cross Linking and Corneal Transplantation.
Keratoconus, a condition characterized by abnormal corneal change in which the cornea gradually becomes thinned and conical, affects approximately one in 2000 people in the United States.
Soft contact lenses can improve vision in the early stages of keratoconus. As the condition progresses, rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses may be needed. Until now, if RGP contacts became difficult to wear, a corneal transplantation was the last resort.
Intacs® is a FDA-approved procedure for patients with keratoconus. Intacs® can improve vision and reduce the distortion caused by keratoconus. Insertion of Intacs® is a minor outpatient procedure performed within 10 minutes with little if any discomfort. This procedure has proven effective for thousands of patients.
Intacs for Myopia
Intacs corneal implants are also approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for myopia and Intacs corneal implants are FAA-approved for pilots. Supported by more than 11 years of clinical studies, the approved range of up to three diopters covers nearly 70% of those who are nearsighted in the US.
How Are Intacs Corneal Implants Used?
Intacs corneal implants are micro-thin. An ophthalmologist inserts them under the outer edge of your cornea (the surface of your eye) during a brief outpatient procedure.
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Ultra-thin Intacs corneal implants. |
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They are almost invisible in the eye and cannot be felt. |
How Do Intacs Corneal Implants Work?
Imagine your cornea as a tent with a curved top. If you push out the sides of the tent, the top flattens. Similarly, when Intacs corneal implants are placed in the sides of the cornea, they flatten it just enough to correct myopia.
Intacs corneal implants gently reshape the curvature of your cornea from within, enhancing the natural shape of your eye to correct mild nearsightedness. Unlike laser surgery, no corneal tissue is removed from the central optical zone of your cornea — the portion critical to your sight.
You cannot feel Intacs corneal implants once they have been inserted. Intacs corneal implants are no more visible than contact lenses. No maintenance is required. Over 97% of patients who get Intacs corneal implants achieve the goal of driver's license vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses, and greater than 50% are pleased to discover that their vision is better than 20/20.
If you're nearsighted, the light rays passing through your cornea are not focusing properly on your retina. Intacs corneal implants correct nearsightedness by gently adjusting the shape of your cornea to allow light rays to focus precisely on the retina — producing clear, sharp vision.
Corneal Cross Linking
Until recently, there was no method to change the integrity and strength of the cornea itself for keratoconus patients.
A non-invasive treatment (corneal collagen cross-linking riboflavin) treatment has been proven to strengthen the weak corneal structure in keratoconus. This method works by increasing collagen cross-linking within the cornea. This is responsible for preventing the cornea from bulging out and becoming steep and irregular (which is the cause of keratoconus).
During the 30-minute, in-office treatment, custom-made riboflavin eye drops are applied to the cornea, which are then activated by a special light. This is the process that has been shown in laboratory and clinical studies to increase the amount of collagen cross-linking in the cornea and strengthen the cornea. In published studies, such treatments were proven safe and effective in patients.
Eye physician’s in Germany performed the initial studies of collagen crosslinking to strengthen the cornea. They reported results of treatments done as long ago as 1998, so there is a good track record for this procedure. It is important to note in these studies that the proper dosages of the components are a very important part of the treatment. When used properly, there were no negative effects.
Corneal Cross Linking treatments can also be combined with Intacs® to flatten the keratoconus cone even more than with Intacs alone. In these cases, Cross Linking treatments stabilize keratoconus from getting worse as well as help the Intacs® reverse the keratoconus steepening that had already occurred up to the time of the treatment.