Laser Surgery with Corneal CrossLinking: New Hope for Thin Corneas
Posted on Mon, Jul 04, 2011 @ 03:41 PM
For all who thought laser surgery was out of the question because of "thin corneas", now there's a new treatment: a combination of IntraLASIK with Corneal Crosslinking. The result is better vision combined with a stronger cornea.
Laser eye surgery, using either the PRK or IntraLASIK approach, reshapes the cornea by removing tissue to help you focus better. The amount of tissue removed increases with the amount of correction required. As each person has a different corneal thickness, those interested in laser surgery must be assessed individually to determine whether sufficient thickness is present to support the amount of treatment needed. Now, the limit has been expanded because of Corneal Crosslinking that strengthens the cornea after laser surgery.
Corneal Collagen Crosslinking is a procedure that compacts and strengthens collagen bonds within the cornea, using ultraviolet light that creates an oxidative reaction on a Riboflavin eye drop. The reaction binds and strengthens collagen. By strengthening those bonds, the entire cornea becomes firmer and resistant to progressive thinning, the very side effect that the assessment of corneal thickness is intended to prevent.
The Crosslinking procedure has been performed since 1998 for people who have progressive corneal thinning. Patients in European studies who underwent Corneal Crosslinking up to 8 years ago have been shown to be stable, leading us to conclude that the effects are long term. Over the past two years, corneal specialists have started using the technique as a preventive treatment as well as a restorative treatment.
Now, Intralase technology allows us to make a thin corneal flap, 3X more accurate than traditional LASIK with a blade, sparing precious corneal thickness for reshaping. Although PRK combined with Corneal Crosslinking remains an option, the IntraLASIK combined technique offers the advantages of LASIK over PRK:
- faster recovery of vision
- better comfort during recovery
- shorter overall recovery with less variation in vision
- significantly less incidence of haze
Few surgeons offer this combination but Dr. Thad Demong, one of Canada's most respected fellowship trained corneal and refractive surgeons, has begun to offer the combined procedure to select patients who have no other corneal problems but wish to undergo laser surgery despite having a borderline corneal thickness. IntraLASIK enhanced with Corneal Crosslinking can be performed on both eyes on the same day.
For more information, check out our GUIDE!
We're pleased to assist you with scheduling a Laser Vision Correction assessment at 403-254-6007 or 1-800-976-3937.