Intacs/Xenia yes or no ?

[Sonia12]

My son is 22 , had cross linking on both eyes 5 years ago, one eye has progressed. Glasses don't help and can't get decent lens fitted and the wait just ridiculous at the hospital. Considering going private for Intacs, can anyone advise me on this. I have also read up on a new procedure called Xenia corneal implant which apparently is less invasive and has better results. Not sure if this is being offered as yet !
Anybody else heard of this ?
Thanks Sonia

[Anne Klepacz]

Someone else was asking about Xenia on this forum last year. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16866&p=77022&hilit=xenia#p77022
It seems to be a very new procedure so as Graham says, I'd be cautious about it. Intacs work for some people, but also have their drawbacks. They don't do anything to slow progression and I remember a consultant at one of our conferences saying he would only use them if the keratoconus was stable. In a few cases, KC can progress even after CXL. Has the hospital suggesting re-doing the procedure? The way Covid has affected waiting times in hospitals is very frustrating. I don't know whereabouts in the country your son is, but one option would be to go to one of the KC friendly opticians for lens fitting. Have a look at the list on our homepage https://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/in ... ometrists/

[Sonia12]

Thank you for your reply, his eyes are stable at the moment, the hospital have offered him a corneal transplant but i have been warned against this at by an optician and feel like the would only be a last option. I have made a consultation today with regards to Xenia so will let you guys know how it goes. It seems very expensive but at least it can be reversed if need be. Thanks for your help with links for our local KC friendly optition too

[thhancock3]

https://www.dovepress.com/safety-and-in ... ticle-OPTH

Read the discussion towards the end of the above article - looks like a bad idea to me as the porcine implant does not integrate with the human cornea and complications are not unlikely.

Having had ferrara rings on the nhs i would stay away from any kind of implant - they just seem to cause irreversible damage to the cornea and the vision improvements are negligible, also you can see the rings during the day and at night they cause so much glare that I used to close that eye when driving at night so i could see. I had the rings removed and now have scars (much less visual disturbance than having the rings in) where they were and KC seems to have progressed because of the rigs stretching the cornea.

Remember that these medical companies are businesses too who are trying to maximise profits so of course they oversell their products and avoid telling you about the bad bits.