Intacs: Corneal Implants

Serving New York City, Long Island, and Manhattan, NY

Intacs are very thin plastic crescents. They are placed at the corneal periphery, beneath the surface, to flatten corneal curvature.

The FDA originally approved Intacs in 1999 for treating mild nearsightedness (myopia), and approved them for Keratoconus in 2005. Keratoconus is an eye condition where the clear cornea that covers the iris bulges forward. It gradually becomes thinner, bulging forward more over the years, and there is no cure. However, there are various treatments.

How Intacs Work

By pushing a little against the corneal periphery they reduce the steepness of the cornea's center curvature. They are made of a biocompatible material that is well accepted by the body and gives very few adverse effects.

Since Keratoconus is progressive, your Intacs can be replaced by Intacs of a different size to correct more severe vision distortion that may develop over time.

The Intacs Procedure

Inserting your Intacs is a brief and routine procedure taking about 15 minutes. Dr. Kelly does it on an outpatient basis, giving you anesthetic eyedrops and a mild sedative. You would need a ride home afterwards, as the sedative takes a little while to wear off.

Dr. Kelly places the Intacs outside your optic zone, your visual center. That means you cannot see them. The cornea has three main layers and the middle one is called the stroma. It has several sub-layers. Dr. Kelly uses a laser to create a tunnel in between the sub-layers. Using the correct thickness of Intacs for your visual distortion, he places one or two Intacs at the corneal edge.

Only one stitch is needed and after a short rest in our office, you may go home. You may notice vision improvement the next day or perhaps after two days. You should rest for a couple of days to optimize your healing. You will not be able to feel the Intacs in your eyes because they are placed below the level of the corneal nerve endings.

Your Intacs Results

Vision improvement depends on how severe your Keratoconus is. If it is relatively mild, you may see well with no eyewear. If it is moderate, you may need glasses or soft contacts. If it is severe, you may need rigid gas permeable (RGP) or specialized Synergeyes contact lenses. Each case is individual and Intacs are customized to your vision needs.

About 96 percent of Keratoconus patients are able to see well at all distances and are very pleased with their vision improvement. The other four percent find that their Intacs make little difference to their eyesight.

However, a progressive disease like Keratoconus has no cure and at some point may become severe enough to require a corneal transplant.

If you would like to know more about Keratoconus and Intacs, or about Custom LASIK, please call or email our office today. We serve Long Island and Manhattan in New York and we will be happy to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Kelly for you.