Visual and Refractive Outcomes and Tomographic Changes after Femtosecond Laser-assisted Intrastromal Corneal Ring Segment Implantation in Patients with Keratoconus

Purpose: To evaluate the visual, refractive, and tomography changes after femtosecond laser-assisted intrastromal corneal ring segment (ICRS; Intacs (R) SK) implantation in patients with keratoconus. Methods: In this prospective interventional case series, Intacs SK ICRSs were inserted using a femtosecond laser into eyes with stage I-IV keratoconus. Visual, refractive, and corneal tomography changes, along with surgical complications, were analyzed 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months postoperatively. Results: The study evaluated 71 eyes of 52 patients (mean age: 27.5 years). Six months postoperatively, the spherical equivalent, mean sphere, and mean cylinder were decreased by 2.07, 1.47, and 1.13 diopters (D), respectively. The mean preoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) increased from 0.87 +/- 0.26 to 0.46 +/- 0.19 LogMAR and the mean preoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) increased from 0.55 +/- 0.21 to 0.28 +/- 0.17 LogMAR (P < 0.001). Flat and steep keratometry decreased by a mean corneal power in the 3-mm zone, and mean anterior elevation decreased by 0.91 D, 2.52 D, and 1.03 microns (P < 0.001), respectively. Among all eyes, 93.0% gained one or more lines of CDVA. Mean internal anterior chamber depth decreased from 3.25 +/- 0.33 to 3.14 +/- 0.45 mm (P = 0.001), and mean irregularity in the 3-mm zone decreased from 5.63 +/- 1.71 to 5.24 +/- 1.82 (P = 0.006). However, mean posterior elevation and irregularity in the 5-mm zone did not change significantly. Conclusion: Implantation of one or two Intacs SK segments is safe and effective to treat keratoconus, leading to significant improvement in UDVA, CDVA, and refractive error.