Intacs Prescription Inserts for Keratoconus

Patients who benefit from Intacs are those with progressive keratoconus who have become contact lens intolerant or who cannot achieve an acceptable level of vision with glasses or contact lenses. Intacs works for these patients by flattening their steep corneas and restoring a more symmetrical corneal shape for patients with inferior steepening and irregular astigmatism. The goals of Intacs surgery are to stabilize the eye, prevent the future need of a cornea transplant, and improve the quality of vision for the patient. After Intacs for keratoconus most patients find that they still need to wear glasses or contact lenses for their best vision, but the contact lens comfort is improved and the level of best corrected vision is improved. Below is a post operative photo of an eye with Intacs.

Intacs is the only surgical device that is currently FDA approved to treat keratoconus. It is a relatively low risk procedure that is performed on an outpatient basis at the Christenbury Eye Center. I use the Intralase femtosecond laser to create the corneal pocket for the implant. Using this technology improves both safety and accuracy of implantation for all of our Intacs patients.

Since the FDA approval of Intacs use for treatment of keratoconus, there has been some difficulty in getting approval of insurance companies to cover this procedure. With the help of an independent consultant skilled at Intacs billing, I am happy to report that we have recently been having great success in getting approval for Intacs for our patients from all major insurance companies.

Post operative recovery from the Intacs procedure is quick and painless for the patient. Typically patients will return to you to be refit for contact lenses or glasses only 2-3 months after the procedure, and if needed, both eyes can have surgery on the same day. If you have a patient in your practice with corneal ectasia which is progressing or is no longer able to wear contact lenses comfortably, please consider Intacs as an option to help them improve their sight. I look forward to the opportunity of assisting with the eye care of these individuals in need.