Astigmatic Change as a Predictor of Intrastromal Corneal Ring Segment Late Extrusion

Importance: This study shows that a newer long-arc length intrastromal corneal ring segment is efficient and safe for keratoconus treatment. Background: To evaluate visual, tomographic results and complications of a 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment implantation with the femtosecond laser for keratoconus treatment. Design: A prospective, nonrandomized, and interventional study. Participants: A total of 34 eyes of 31 patients diagnosed with keratoconus were enrolled. Methods: Patients were divided into two groups based on the strategy used for 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment thickness selection. In one group, this selection was based on spherical equivalent (SE group) and in the other on the mean asphericity (Q group). The uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities, spherical equivalent, K1, K2, Km, Kmax, and mean asphericity ( Q) on corneal tomography were evaluated preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. For astigmatism improvement, we analyzed the corneal tomographic vectorial astigmatism change preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. The mean follow-up period was 6.63 ± 0.96 months. Results: The mean uncorrected distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity improved with a significant spherical equivalent improvement ( p < 0.05), with no differences between the 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment groups. All corneal tomographic parameters improved significantly ( p < 0.05) between the preoperative and postoperative intervals, with a significant better performance when we used spherical equivalent for the 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment thickness selection. Finally, the mean vectorial corneal tomographic astigmatism significantly improved after 6 months, again with no differences between groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that implanting a 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment is a safe and effective procedure for treating patients with keratoconus. It also suggests that for thickness selection spherical equivalent is the better strategy.

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Influence of scleral lenses on visual acuity and aberrations in patients with irregular cornea

The Eye ◽

10.33791/2222-4408-2019-2-32-39 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 126 (2019-2) ◽

pp. 32-39

Author(s):

Olga Tikhonova ◽

Nikolai Pashtaev ◽

Nadezhda Pozdeyeva ◽

Alexander Myagkov ◽

Svetlana Bodrova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Acuity ◽

Laser Surgery ◽

Contact Lenses ◽

Lens Space ◽

Astigmatism Correction ◽

Intrastromal Corneal Ring ◽

Stable Vision ◽

Ring Segment ◽

Ophthalmologic Examination ◽

Fitting In

Purpose: To analyze changes of functional parame¬ters and aberrations before fitting and after using rigid gas-permeable scleral lenses (RGPSCL) in patients with irregular cornea. Material and methods. 21 patients (29 eyes) with irregular astigmatism of various etiology were enrolled in this study. The patients could not achieve good visual aсuity in glasses, standard soft or rigid corneal contact lenses. Complex ophthalmologic examination was per¬formed: autorefractometry, visometry, biomicroscopy, computer corneal topography, aberrometry on “OPD-Scan II” (“Nidek”, Japan) before fitting scleral lenses and during the period of their wearing. Results and discussion. The results demonstrat¬ed significant visual acuity improvement after RGP¬SCL fitting in all observed patients. UCVA amounted to 0.1±0.18, BCVA in glasses amounted to 0.4±0.26, BCVA in RGPSCL amounted to 0.7±0.1. An increase of best-corrected visual acuity in RGPSCL was statistically significant in patients after keratoplasty, after intra-stromal corneal ring segments (ICRS) implantation, af¬ter refractive laser surgery (RLS) and in cases of mixed astigmatism. We have found that the correction of ker¬atoconus with the use of RGPSCL resulted in a decrease of the root mean square value (RMS), measured in the 3 mm and 5 mm zones by 2.5 times and 4 times, re¬spectively. In patients wearing RGPSCL after kerato¬plasty, statistically significant decrease in RMS was observed in the 3 mm zone (by 3.85 times) and in the 5 mm zone (by 2.99 times). In patients wearing RGPSCL after implantation of intrastromal corneal ring segment (ICRS), RMS in the 3 mm zone decreased by 1.5 times. In patients wearing RGPSCL after refractive laser surgery (RLS) RMS was 2.5 times lower in the 3 mm zone and 2.8 times lower in the 5 mm zone. In case of mixed astigmatism correction with RGPSCL, RMS increased by 1.6 times in the 3 mm zone and practically did not change in the 5 mm zone. Conclusion. The results obtained demonstrated significant visual acuity improvement in all observed patients. The sub-lens-space filled with tear forms a unified “cornea-tear-scleral contact lens” optic system that corrects unevenness of cornea, decreases amount of high-order aberrations (HOA) and provides a clear stable vision.

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