Is Pachymetry Less Than 400 µm An Obstacle To Inserting An Intracorneal Ring In Managing Patients With Keratoconus?

Published 2022 - 40th Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: PE038 | Type: ESONT - Abstract | DOI: 10.82333/q6ka-dg81

Authors: Akram Fekry Elgazzar*, Ehab Tharwat ¹ , RAMY SALEH AMER ¹ , Hossameldin A. Ziada ² , Tamer Gamal Elsayed ³ , Magdy Khallaf ² , Riad Elzaher Hassan Ahmed ¹

¹opthalmology,AL-Azhar university,New Damietta,Egypt, ²opthalmology,AL-Azhar university,cairo,Egypt, ³opthalmology,Zagazig university,Zagazig,Egypt

Purpose

To assess the clinical course and visual outcomes in patients with keratoconus with a corneal thickness of less than 400 µm following intracorneal ring (ICR) implantation.

Setting/Venue

I-Vision center, Cairo, Egypt.

Methods

This prospective nonrandomized case series study included nine eyes with keratoconus from six patients after taking the informed consent. Using a femtosecond laser, a Kera ring ICR was inserted in an intrastromal pocket. Patients were examined for pentacam findings, slit-lamp findings, best-corrected visual acuity, and uncorrected visual acuity at the baseline and six months postoperatively. These data were extracted and analyzed.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 22.67 years ± 18.08 (SD). A significant improvement was observed in LogMAR uncorrected visual acuity (P = 0.01) and Best-corrected visual acuity (P = 0.007), combined with significant improvement in the pachymetry, which increased from 392 [359-396] µm (median and IQR) at the baseline to 403 [368-422] µm at six months postoperative (P ˂ 0.03). Also, there was a significant reduction in Keratometric readings (P < 0.001). Other outcomes such as spherical error, spherical equivalence error, and cylindrical error were improved six months postoperative (P ˂ 0.001).

Conclusions

ICR implantation appears suitable in keratoconic patients with a corneal thickness of fewer than 400 microns.