Implantation of asymmetrical corneal intrastromal rings: A case series

Abstract

This case series reports eight eyes with keratoconus treated with laser implantation of one or two segments of progressive thickness corneal intrastromal ring (PT-ICRS). In this case series, it was evident that the insertion of PT-ICRS induces more pronounced corneal flattening at the thickest point, causing a reduction in distortion (coma) and lower astigmatism, resulting in a remarkable improvement in vision. Compared to the implementation of traditional intrastromal rings, the PT-ICRS variant showed superior results despite the small sample size. However, the same degree of asymmetry enhancement was not observed in cases in which a 330° PT-ICRS was implanted, despite the improvement in visual results when replacing a 320° traditional ring with a 330° PT-ICRS. These conclusions are limited as this is a case series with few cases.

Keywords

• cornea
• corneal astigmatism
• corneal diseases
• corneal topography
• intrastromal ring
• keratoconus