Innovative intra-corneal ring-supported graft surgery for treatment of keratoconus and cornea regeneration: Surgical technique and case report.

Therapeutic options for corneal ectasia are evolving, with emphasis on the intra-stromal corneal ring for delaying or eliminating the need for penetrating keratoplasty. A 33-year-old man with grade 4 keratoconus and rising intolerance of the hard contact lens underwent a combination of a new innovative ring and graft with suture in the left eye. Excellent structural support and stability of the cornea were observed immediately post-operatively and 12 months after surgery. It appears as a feasible and safe therapy option for keratoconus eyes with reference to the instability and asymmetry of the cornea. Hence, as a safe and effective technique, it can be performed easily.

Use of low-vault posterior chamber collagen copolymer phakic intraocular lenses for the correction of myopia: a 3-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) models have indicated an association between cataract formation and inadequate vaulting. In this study, the efficacy and safety of low-vault posterior chamber pIOLs in the correction of myopia were examined over 3 years. METHODS: From 316 patients undergoing surgery, 14 eyes with a low vault (≤ 150 µm) were examined from 14 patients. After implanting the Visian Implantable Collamer pIOL for the correction of myopia (moderate and high), the pIOL vault, endothelial cell loss, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected DVA (CDVA), and detrimental events were examined over 3 years. RESULTS: Based on the findings, the mean spherical equivalent reduced from - 8.15 ± 3.29 before surgery to - 1.02 ± 0.75 diopters 3 years after the surgery. In terms of visual outcomes, the mean UDVA (Log MAR) significantly increased from 0.95 ± 037 to 0.27 ± 0.28, and the mean CDVA also increased from 0.99 ± 0.11 to 0.06 ± 0.08 (P < 0.05). The mean indices of safety and efficacy were respectively 1.075 and 0.748. The eyes lost not more than two visual acuity lines. Based on the findings, 82% achieved 0.80 or better CDVA, while the total endothelial cell loss was 7.96% during 3 years. Overall, vision-threatening conditions were not reported. CONCLUSION: The introduced pIOL can be considered a safe and efficient method for myopia at moderate to high levels.

Pre-operative factors influencing post-operative outcomes from MyoRing implantation in keratoconus.

BACKGROUND: To identify pre-operative factors that influence post-operative performance of a full-ring intra-corneal implant (MyoRing) for the management of keratoconus. METHOD: In a retrospective study, medical records of 70 keratoconus eyes of 70 consecutive surgical patients with a mean age of 28.54 ± 6.52 years, who underwent MyoRing implantation using the PocketMaker microkeratome (Dioptex GmbH), were included and analysed before implantation and for visual outcome. Variables assessed included age, gender, keratoconus shape, uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, spherical equivalent and keratometry reading. After the last follow-up, the eyes were graded for MyoRing implantation performance into worst, moderate and best subgroups. RESULTS: The mean values of uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, spherical equivalent, manifest sphere and cylinder improved significantly post-operatively (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found in the mean spherical equivalent (p = 0.046) and uncorrected distance visual acuity (p = 0.001) between moderate and best subgroups. No statistically significant correlation was found between age, sex, keratoconus shape, keratometric values, corrected distance visual acuity and visual outcome. CONCLUSIONS: According to this new grading system for MyoRing implantation performance, pre-operative uncorrected distance visual acuity and spherical equivalent are considered as the most important indicators for surgical performance in MyoRing treatment of keratoconus.