Patient Satisfaction Following Intrastromal Ring Implantation In Advanced Keratoconus

To assess the degree of postoperative satisfaction in patients undergoing intrastromal ring implantation.

Prospective cross-sectional study,  single-centre study, at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

26 individuals with advanced keratoconus were included in the survey. A total of 38 eyes undergoing intrastromal ring implantation were analyzed. The manual technique was employed, based on a minimum pachymetry of 300 microns between 5 and 6 mm on the pachymetry map. The intracorneal ring segments used were from Mediphacos. Patient evaluation regarding visual acuity improvement after the procedure was conducted using a postoperative questionnaire, enabling a detailed analysis of both functional and subjective outcomes.

According to patient responses, visual improvement in the right eye (n=21) was rated as excellent (14.29%), good (42.86%), fair (23.81%), and poor (19.05%), occurring within 3 months (42.86%), between 3 and 6 months (38.10%), between 6 and 9 months (4.76%) and after 1 year (14.29%). In the left eye (n=19), improvement was classified as excellent (10.53%), good (42.11%), fair (26.32%), and poor (21.05%), with patients experiencing improvement within 3 months (42.11%), between 3 and 6 months (26.32%), between 6 and 9 months (15.79%) and after more than 1 year (15.79%). Overall satisfaction, rated from 0 to 10, showed that 84.6% scored between 8 and 10, (7.7%) between 4 and 7, and (7.7%) between 0 and 3. 88.5% would recommend the procedure.

The results of this study indicate that most patients with advanced keratoconus who underwent intracorneal ring segment implantation reported improved visual acuity and satisfaction with the procedure. Subjective analysis revealed a positive impact on quality of life, reinforcing the effectiveness of the implant in visual rehabilitation. However, individual variations in treatment response highlight the importance of personalized follow-up. Further studies with larger samples may contribute to validating these findings and optimizing the criteria for procedure indication.