Original article
Continuous Corneal Intrastromal Ring Implantation for Treatment of Keratoconus in an Iranian Population

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2012.11.015Get rights and content

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of mechanical implantation of a continuous intrastromal ring in keratoconus.

Design

Prospective, interventional, nonrandomized, case series.

Methods

The MyoRing (Dioptex GmbH) was implanted after creation of an intrastromal pocket for 95 eyes of 95 patients with moderate and advanced keratoconus. All patients had at least 12 months of follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuity, keratometry, aberrometry, and refraction were the main outcome measures of the study.

Results

A significant improvement in uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity was observed 1 month after surgery, which was consistent with the significant reduction in sphere (5.74 diopters [D]) and cylinder (3.02 D). No significant changes were detected in these parameters afterward. Furthermore, a significant corneal flattening of a mean value of 9.78 D was found. Both spherical myopia and astigmatism underwent reduction, but the reduction in myopia was more remarkable than astigmatism. Higher-order aberrations and coma-like aberrations decreased significantly, but spherical aberrations increased after surgery. No significant change in central corneal thickness was observed at any point after operation. There were no significant differences between 2 keratometry groups (higher or lower than 53 D) in visual gain after the procedure. There were no major complications during or after surgery. MyoRing explantation was performed in 4 eyes (4%). The refraction, visual acuity, and corneal topography returned to the preoperative status 1 month later for all 4 eyes.

Conclusions

MyoRing implantation has an acceptable efficacy profile in moderate and advanced keratoconus.

Section snippets

Methods

The present study was an interventional case series. All procedures were performed by 2 surgeons (M.J. and A.S.) in 2010, with identical surgical techniques. All patients gave informed consent to participate in research and to undergo the proposed treatment, after explanation of other options of treatment. The tenets of the Helsinki Declaration were followed, and the Institutional Review Board of Tehran University approved both the procedures and use of the MyoRing for keratoconic patients

Results

The mean preoperative sphere was −4.6 ± 4.36 D (range, −16.00 to 2.00 D), mean cylinder was −5.3 ± 2.17 D (range, −2.00 to −11.00 D), and mean spherical equivalent was −7.28 ± 4.69 D. Also, the mean keratometry reading was 51.77 ± 3.65 D (range, 48 to 59 D).

Preoperative and postoperative measurements are shown in Table 2. Before surgery, 58% eyes had a UDVA of 20/200 or worse, whereas after 12 months, 42% eyes had a UDVA of 20/40 or better. No significant change in central corneal thickness was

Discussion

The concept of continuous ring implantation into an intrastromal pocket was proposed first in 2008.10 Its safety and efficacy for myopia correction and keratoconus have been shown and proved in many prior studies.6, 10, 11 In the present study, we demonstrated a reduction in corneal power and astigmatism after MyoRing placement. The reduction in the mean corneal keratometry (9.78 D) and spherical power (5.74 D) was more significant than the cylindrical power reduction (3.02 D; Figure 1).

Mahmoud Jabbarvand, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran. He received his cornea fellowship from TUMS in 1997 and joined the faculty at the Department of Ophthalmology of TUMS. His main areas of research interests are corneal diseases, esp. refractive surgery and keratoconus. Dr Jabbarvand has published extensively in his research fields, with over 50 publications in peer reviewed journals.

Cited by (41)

  • Confocal biomicroscopic changes of the corneal layers following femtosecond laser-assisted MyoRing implantation in keratoconus

    2017, Journal of Current Ophthalmology
    Citation Excerpt :

    Our study demonstrated additional information, including improved uncorrected visual acuity and spherical equivalent 6 months after the operation, about effectivity of the procedure. The improvement in the uncorrected visual acuity and spherical equivalent after the procedure was similar to other studies.5–9 Thus, the femtolaser-assisted MyoRing implantation might be an effective procedure to treat patients with keratoconus.

  • MyoRing treatment of myopia

    2017, Journal of Optometry
    Citation Excerpt :

    The presented data therefore describe the visual results which can be achieved by that method if the patients are properly selected according to the criteria described above. In agreement with the experience with the treatment of keratoconus, no intra- or postoperative complications have been observed in the treatment of myopia.8–11 In conclusion, MyoRing treatment is a safe, effective and fully reversible refractive surgery procedure which gives excellent results in a particular group of myopic patients suffering from moderate and high myopia.

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Mahmoud Jabbarvand, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran. He received his cornea fellowship from TUMS in 1997 and joined the faculty at the Department of Ophthalmology of TUMS. His main areas of research interests are corneal diseases, esp. refractive surgery and keratoconus. Dr Jabbarvand has published extensively in his research fields, with over 50 publications in peer reviewed journals.

Hesam Hashemian, MD, received his medical degree and internship in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran, followed by a residency at Farabi Eye Hospital at 2010. He is now an Assistant Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, TUMS. His main areas of research interests are corneal diseases, cataract and refractive surgery, and keratoconus. Dr Hashemian has published 10 publications in peer reviewed journals, and edited one international book.

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