Intacs

If you suffer from keratoconus, or the continued progression of nearsightedness and irregular astigmatism, Intacs inserts are a minimally invasive alternative to corneal transplant used to correct this condition.

Intacs are clear, arc-shaped plastic “stents” placed within the peripheral cornea to improve the cornea shape, correct keratoconus and also to adjust irregular cornea shape due to LASIK complications. With keratoconus your corneas are overly pointed, and the Intacs help to flatten the cornea so that light rays are refocused correctly. The procedure takes about 15 minutes per eye, and can be done at our office. You will be given eye drops as a topical anesthetic and will need someone to drive you home after the surgery. Recovery can vary from patient to patient with some patients recovering in a few days while others may need a month. Your vision may be sharper the day after surgery, but you should have a few days of relaxation to promote healing and allow your vision to fully stabilize. Originally approved by the FDA in 1999 to correct low amounts of near sightedness, the 2004 approval for these current uses of Intacs has greatly bettered the lives of patients with this corneal disease. Intacs can provide vision improvement, and sometimes, just as importantly, comfort.

While some of our patients have experienced remarkable improvement in the shape of their cornea after this procedure, in general the majority of our patients experience an improvement in the tolerance of their contact lenses. For those who have worn contact lenses for a prolonged period of time, this can be an enormous improvement in their daily comfort. The effects of Intacs have been shown to be long lasting.

Always on the cutting edge of innovation, the doctors at Cornea Consultants of Albany were the first in Northeastern New York to perform Intacs implantation. We encourage you to personally discuss your candidacy with our doctors, as well as your risks, benefits and alternatives to this procedure. If you are interested in increasing your daily comfort while also improving your eye health, Intacs inserts may be the answer to your vision concerns. You will not be able to find a better and more experienced practice in upstate New York to perform the Intacs procedure, so talk to Drs. Schultze or Eden to see if you are a good candidate for Intacs.