Abstract
Purpose: :
To document results of INTACS for keratoconus, stability over the first follow up year, visual rehabilitation and compare groups with or without crosslinking.
Methods: :
This is a prospective, non randomized study of 47 eyes of 37 patients with keratoconus and contact lens intolerance. All were treated with INTACS with the manual technique by the same surgeon between September 2008 and September 2009 and had a 6 month minimum follow-up (mean 9,1 month). Only a group of 21 patients were treated with transepithelial crosslinking at 2-3 months postINTACS. UCVA, BCVA, Kmin, Kmax, and spherical equivalent (EE) were documented.
Results: :
In the general group UCVA and BCVA (logMar)significantly improved from 0,96 and 0,30 to 0,48 and 0,19 (p 0,001 and 0,015), and spherical equivalent as well from -5,18 to -3,09 D (p 0,0003). Kmax and Kmin also improved from 53,49 D and 47,90D to 50,90D and 46,37 D (p = 0,0063 and 0,0484). None of the above had a significant difference during follow-up. A successful visual rehabilitation (BCVA 20/40) was achieved in 45 of 47 patients, 40% wearing glasses, 34% with soft contact lenses (spherical, toric, tricurve or piggy back), 25,5% without any kind of correction and none needing RGP. There was no difference between the groups with or without transepithelial crosslinking in any of the above (UCVA p 0,71; BCVA p 0,42; EE p 0,75, Kmax p 0,18; Kmin p 0,30).
Conclusions: :
In our study patients improved in all variables and remained stable during follow- up, there was no significant difference between groups with or without crosslinking. Successful visual rehabilitation was obtained in 95,7% of patients.
Keywords: keratoconus • cornea: clinical science • refractive surgery: other technologies