Intacs and Keratoconus
Keratoconus is an eye disease in which the cornea, the clear part of the eye that covers the pupil and iris, becomes thin and starts to bulge out. In doing this, it deflects light rays entering the eye so that they can't focus on the retina.


/Vision-Eye Care News Articles/ - LOS ANGELES, CA, February 11, 2007 - Symptoms of Keratoconus
It usually progresses very slowly and can be hard to diagnose at first.
· At first the vision is a little blurry
· There may be sensitivity to glare and light
· Vision changes, so that glasses or contact lenses must change frequently
Treatments
At first glasses or soft contact lenses can be helpful. But as the cornea continues to change shape, they become less effective.
Rigid gas-permeable contact lenses
A rigid contact lens can cover the irregular and changing cornea better than a soft one, and improve vision at least for a while. Getting them to fit comfortably can take several visits, and as the cornea keeps thinning and changing its contour, they must be refitted repeatedly.
Intacs
Intacs are a new way to treat nearsightedness and astigmatism when you have keratoconus, and a solution that can be used after contact lenses cease being useful.
They're tiny, clear, pieces of plastic polymer, shaped like a new moon, approved by the FDA in 2004 after being used by some eye surgeons since 1999. In 2006, the FDA agreed that they could be described as corneal implants, rather than just as inserts.
· They're a long-term solution for vision correction, but not permanent
· They work by flattening the cornea, which re-focuses the light rays so they can create a clear image on the retina
· They're removable
The procedure
· Your eyes are first given anesthetic eyedrops.
· You can choose to have an oral sedative as well.
· The eye surgeon chooses implants of the correct thickness for your degree of vision impairment. The more correction needed, the thicker the implants.
· They're placed just beneath the outside surface of the cornea.
· The procedure takes only about 15 minutes.
If you're not pleased with the results, Intacs can be replaced with implants of a different thickness, or just removed permanently. And as your eyesight changes over the years, you can have them replaced to keep up with the changes.
Not a permanent solution
Since keratoconus is a progressive disease, Intacs can't prevent it from continuing to impair eyesight. But they can slow down the deterioration. When Intacs cease being helpful, a corneal transplant must be performed.
Potential risks
· Infection
· Less vision improvement than was hoped for
· Glare and halos
· A feeling that there's an eyelash or something in your eye
Intacs are a successful way of treating keratoconus and when inserted by a good eye surgeon, will give you clear vision on a long-term basis.

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