Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Jul;21(4):255-8.
doi: 10.1097/ICU.0b013e32833a8bfe.

Treatment strategies for corneal ectasia

Jennifer G Bromley  1 , J Bradley Randleman
Affiliations
Review

Treatment strategies for corneal ectasia

Jennifer G Bromley et al. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose of review: To review the most recent management strategies for corneal ectasia after keratorefractive surgery.

Recent findings: Management options for postoperative ectasia include conservative management with various types of contact lenses such as rigid gas permeable lenses, custom wave front-guided soft contact lenses, hybrid lenses and tandem soft contact lens-rigid gas permeable lenses. Minimally invasive surgical options including corneal ring segment implantation with Intacs, KeraRings or Ferrara rings have shown to have good results in the initial period after insertion. However, there appears to be some evidence that this initial effect may regress with time. Collagen cross-linking is also minimally invasive and has been documented to stop the progression of ectasia and in some cases may cause regression. Recently, techniques combining collagen cross-linking with intracorneal ring segments or with topography-guided excimer laser treatments have shown to have promising results.

Summary: Early management of ectasia is essential to prevent its progression and to preserve visual potential. There are several management options that are available that may be used to reduce the need for corneal transplantation for these patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Randleman JB, Woodward M, Lynn MJ, Stulting RD. Risk assessment for ectasia after corneal refractive surgery. Ophthalmology. 2008;115(1):37–50. - PubMed
    1. Randleman JB, Trattler WB, Stulting RD. Validation of the Ectasia Risk Score System for preoperative laser in situ keratomileusis screening. Am J Ophthalmol. 2008;145(5):813–818. - PMC - PubMed

    1. Pinero DP, Alio JL, Uceda-Montanes A, El Kady B, Pascual I. Intracorneal ring segment implantation in corneas with post-laser in situ keratomileusis keratectasia. Ophthalmology. 2009;116(9):1665–1674. * Pinero et all documented that intracorneal ring segment implantation is a useful option for the treatment of coma-like aberrations and astigmatism in post-LASIK corneal ectasia.

    1. Marsack JD, Parker KE, Niu Y, Pesudovs K, Applegate RA. On-eye Performance of Custom Wavefront guided Soft Contact Lenses in a Habitual Soft Lens-Wearing Keratoconic Patient. J Refract Surg. 2007;23:960–964. - PubMed

    1. Woodward MA, Randleman JB, Russell B, Lynn MJ, Ward MA, Stulting RD. Visual rehabilitation and outcomes for ectasia after corneal refractive surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2008;34:383–388. * This article documented that the majority of eyes developing postoperative corneal ectasia achieved functional visual acuity with RGP lens wear and did not require further intervention. The authors concluded that penetrating keratoplasty could be postponed or possibly even avoided by alternative methods of visual rehabilitation.

Publication types

MeSH terms