PMID: 10941659

Issn Print: 0020-8167

Publication Date: 2000/07/01


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Intacs: The Intrastromal Corneal Ring

Eric J. Linebarger; Diane Song; Josef Ruckhofer; David J. Schanzlin

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Excerpt

The quest for improved efficacy and safety continues to be a driving force behind the advances in refractive surgical technology. The ability to reshape the human cornea without removing or destroying tissue has long been an elusive goal. The idea of changing corneal curvature by expanding rather than subtracting tissue volume represents a significant departure from the current tissue-destructive procedures of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).
In April 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the first-ever approval for an implant to be permanently placed into the human cornea for the purpose of altering its curvature. The Keravision intrastromal corneal ring (ICR) segments, or “Intacs,” are now an exciting addition to the refractive surgeon's palate of options for correcting low-level nearsightedness. Though many may look at this achievement with only modest wonder, it represents an entirely new platform of technology now available to the refractive surgeon and is a landmark event in the evolution of refractive surgery.
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