intacs

[Paul Harris]

I would be intrested to here from any one who has had intacs. Could you tell me what sort of improvements you have had also what the recovery times were. And who operated on you.
Many thanks Paul

[Kathy Hobkirk]

I would also like to know more about intacs than what my consultant has told me.

Does it work? What are the success rates? etc....

Can anyone help from personal experience.

kathy

[Anne Klepacz]

Kathy
Not personal experience, but at our conference in June last year one of the consultants in his talk quoted a recent study which said that just less than half of the 74 eyes fitted with Intacs showed an improvement. The mean improvement was a couple of lines on the eye chart. The same study quoted a complication rate of 1 in 20 - presumably leading to the Intacs needing to be removed? His view was that Intacs could be useful in relatively early keratoconus but that people shouldn't expect miracles from it! There are a few people on here who have had Intacs fitted in the last few months so hopefully some of them will update us on how they're doing.
Anne

[Louise Pembroke]

These are the surgically implanted lenses Anne? This seems to be done more elsewhere then here. Those stats are not as good as I would have hoped for. I wonder whether they can be rejected.

[Vicky Houston]

I had Intacs put in at the end of November and i seem to have been lucky, i have got improved vision, but will know more about this when i go back to the hospital next week for my 6 week check up.
I found the surgery a strange feeling but not painful and the recovery has been fine and had better vision straight after the surgery but then it kept changing over time, now i am finding it easier at work to see the PC and also now wearing glasses as i could not wear contacts before so i am hoping to try contacts again soon.
I also managed to have a surgeon who used a laser to make the insision which meant i did not need stitches which made the healing process easier.
Hope this helps slightly and if anyone would like to ask any questions then please do

[Kathy Hobkirk]

Thanks for the info Vicky.

I'm thinking about the op so its good to hear from somebody who has had it done.

Good luck with your check up.

Kathy

[Andrew MacLean]

Vicky

Congartulations on the outcome of your Intacs surgery. Can I ask a couple of questions?

1 How long were you out of action after the surgery? (I am told that this can be minimal)

2 Are you able to drive without contact lenses?

I really do think that Intacs may be one of the most exciting developments for KC sufferers. I hope that your own situation continues to improve. This gives rise to my last question:

3 You do say that you look forward to wearing contact lenses again. I know it may be indelicate to ask, but is this because you do not like wearing glasses, or were you told that lenses would provide a still greater improvement to your sight?

Every good wish

Andrew

[Derek Q]

I had Intacs implanted December 5, 2005 by dr Swanson in Agua Prieta, Mexico. I know it may sound odd having a medical procedure done in Mexico, however, Dr. Swanson is one of the foremost ophthalmologists on the procedure and the disease and was recommended by Addition Technologies (makers of Intacs) as one of the most prolific surgeons. Check out his website at http://www.swannkeratoconus.com/ where he has posted results of patients achieving better than 2 lines of correction in 75% of instances of KC implantation at 6 months post-op. As per my conversation with him, the remaining 25% realized improvements after the 6 month follow up period.

I am just a bit over one month post-op and have noticed improvement in the right eye which was not as poor as the left. The left was quite advanced and the vision is still not that great. The reason, I am told, is because the rings will first eliminate the irregularities and centre the bulge created by keratoconus. It will create a much different presription and will take anywhere from 1-6 months for the final results to be seen. My topographies (Orbscans) have shown great improvements which will make for a much easier lens fit or glasses prescription. Night driving is still not good, I dont do it, but I tried not to before the surgery as well. I did have stitches placed as Dr Swanson utilises the 'steep axis' technique whereby he creates the channel manually (refer to his web page) to obtain the best possible results as opposed to Intralase (Intacs channel created by a laser). The procedure is quick and there is little pain. Expect to pay anywhere from $4000 US - $13000 US depending on the location and fees of the surgeon.

I will have the stitches removed February 8th which will slightly improve the vision and contacts or glasses will be fit a few weeks after this. I'll post for you guys as I know there is little information on results to be found on the Internet. I may not be the best barometer for success as I had PRK performed (based on a ridiculous doctor's recommendation) in October 2003. PRK or any form of laser are absolutely contraindicted for Keratoconus. It did provide improved vision for approximately 1 month and then regressed back and continued to get worse.

Another option for KCers that seems extremely interesting is Corneal Cross-linking with Collagen and Riboflavin (or C3-R for short). Follow up has been done for about 3 years and has proven effective in halting progression in all cases and in some instances has given 2 lines on the chart back (http://www.keratoconusinserts.com/cornea.html). I will likely go back to have this procedure done as it has proven even more effective when combined with Intacs.

Feel free to email questions you may have. I'll try to answer them as best I can, in terms of vision improvement - I'm only a bit over a month out so I can't say much yet. Will know more and will post for everyone early February.

Take care,
Derek

[John Smith]

Hello Derek, and welcome to the forum.

Thanks for posting your experiences. There is someone on the forum currently undergoing C3-R in Germany, so that will be an interesting comparison.

[jayuk]

Derek

Completely agree with you on Dr Swanson! I think he has taken C3R w/ Intacs to a new plane! The stuff he has been doing with Advanced KC patients is short of phenominal. I am in touch with another KC sufferer whom had the procedure done by him some 15-18 months ago and she had the steepest Cornea Dr Swanson has performed on to-date! After 7 months she now sees 20/30 with a contact lens and prior to that she could barely see 20/80. She was told that she needed a tranplant about 4 years back but she held off...and then finally saw Dr Swanson....

From what I know, he takes his work very seriously and has a personal touch which is a hard trait to find! Additionaly, he also cares about the patients and has an understanding on what we go through!

Did you not have the C3R performed as well?...Or will you be having this after?

J