Corneal Implants

Intacs corneal implants represent a surgical option for correcting nearsightedness when LASIK is not an option. Approved by the FDA in 1999 for mild myopia (-1.0 to -3.0 diopters), the technology uses two tiny, clear crescent-shaped pieces of a plastic polymer that are inserted into the cornea. The procedure takes about 15 minutes.

Intacs corneal implants are designed for long-term vision correction. However, Intacs may be removed or replaced with a different size if necessary or desired. Should your prescription change at a later date with age, you would have the option of replacing your Intacs with a more appropriate size.

In people who are nearsighted, the cornea is too steep, which focuses the incoming light rays in front of the retina rather than directly on it. Faraway objects therefore appear blurry. Intacs corneal implant rings reshape the cornea to flatten it enough to direct incoming light rays properly onto the retina, thus producing a sharper image.

Most patients have sharper vision the first day after surgery. The Intacs ring segments can’t be felt because they are beneath the cornea’s nerve endings. Other people won’t be able to see them unless they look closely into your eyes.

Intacs are also approved for reduction or elimination of myopia and astigmatism for people with keratoconus, when LASIK is not an option. Keratoconus is a progressive disease, often appearing in the teens or early twenties, in which the cornea thins and changes shape. The cornea is normally a round or spherical shape, but with keratoconus the cornea bulges, distorts and assumes more of a cone shape. This affects the way light enters the eye and hits the light-sensitive retina, causing distorted vision. Keratoconus can occur in one or both eyes.