Intacs Corneal Ring Segments:

Approved by the FDA in April 1999, Intacs corneal ring segments offer people with mild myopia (nearsightedness) and minimal astigmatism (an irregular shaped cornea) another option for correcting their vision. Currently, the rings are approved for correction of nearsightedness up to 3.00 diopters (unit which measures refractive or light-bending power of a lens) for people twenty-one years or older who have no more than 1.00 diopter of astigmatism. This procedure does not correct astigmatism. people who have astigmatism - even less than 1.00 diopter - need to understand they will still be astigmatic postoperatively (after the operation). Intacs are newer than LASIK and PRK, so they don’t yet have a track record like the other two procedures.

With Intacs, two small plastic ring segments are inserted in the peripheral cornea through small incisional channels. A temporary suture is then used to close the incision. The rings cause the central cornea to flatten. The rings are intended to be permanent, but they may be removed if someone wishes to reverse the correction. In clinical trials, when the rings were removed, many patients’ eyes went back to their preoperative state. In some patients, they did not. Because some patients’ eyes did not return exactly to their preoperative condition, the FDA will not allow the use of the term reversible, but Intacs are certainly removable if desired.

Intacs insertion takes slightly longer than LASIK, roughly fifteen minutes per eye under anesthetic drops. The recovery of clear vision takes slightly longer than LASIK. In addition, patients tend to experience more postoperative discomfort.

The cost of Intacs is roughly equal to, or more than, LASIK in most centers. Removal of the rings, either for fine-tuning the result or from dissatisfaction, is accomplished with a second surgery. The segments are removed, the eyes are allowed to heal, and an alternate procedure (such as LASIK, PRK, or a change in ring size) may be performed once the eyes have healed. The treatment range for Intacs is currently very limited.