PURPOSE: To review the intraoperative and postoperative complications after intracorneal ring segment implantation and to report the explantation rate among the available scientific literature. METHODS: Three different databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were assessed from January 1995 to June 2019. The keywords used were: ring, rings, ICRS (intracorneal ring segments), segment, segments or Intacs, complication, explantation, explanted, retired, and removal. RESULTS: The selection process of this systematic review study is described in a flow diagram. A total of 39 studies published between 1995 and 2019 were included. Sixteen studies were case reports, 21 were case series studies, and 2 were chart analysis works. This study enrolled 1,946 participants, and 2,590 eyes were included. The postoperative complications described in most studies included migration, ring extrusion, corneal thinning, corneal melting, and some type of infective keratitis. These complications together with glare, halos, fluctuating vision, neovascularization, foreign body sensation, or pain represented most of the causes. The percentage rate of explantation ranged from 0.5% up to 83.3%. If we analyze those articles with a high number of implantations (2,124 eyes), an explantation rate between 0% and 1.4% was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The complication rate and explantation ratio in segments of the intracorneal ring segments analyzed in the available scientific literature are minimal. Therefore, patient selection, surgery planning, and postoperative follow-up are critical to the success of surgery. [ J Refract Surg . 2019;35(11):740–747.]

The use of a bandage contact lens (BCL) immediately after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) results in less pain. This review analyzed which BCL is most effective in decreasing pain immediately after PRK and evaluated the reepithelialization process in the treated zone. Two databases, PubMed and Medline, were checked for articles published from January 2005 to May 2018. The keywords were photorefractive keratectomy, PRK, contact lens, and bandage contact lens. The review comprised 13 studies; these studies enrolled 842 patients who had PRK. All studies compared the early postoperative results for two types of BCL material (senofilcon A and lotrafilcon A). Of the materials, the pain scores were lowest with a senofilcon A. The size of the defect in the epithelialized area 1 day after surgery decreased fastest with lotrafilcon A.

Posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) implantation is a common option for correcting moderate-to-high ocular refractive defects. Because this pIOL is implanted on ciliary sulcus, the distance between the back surface of the pIOL and the anterior surface of the crystalline lens, that it is known as vault, should be measured in different conditions to ensure the technique’s safety. Cyclopentolate is a drug that dilates the pupil and relaxes accommodation (cycloplegia). It is often used for different ocular examinations and for other medical purposes. However, there is no evidence of the effect of this drug on vault. This study quantified central vault changes associated with cyclopentolate instillation. We measured the vault under normal conditions (pre-cycloplegic instillation) and after instilling cyclopentolate on 39 eyes of 39 patients with implanted pIOL. Our results suggest that cyclopentolate instillation may induce changes to vault in eyes with implanted pIOL. These changes seem safe and are mainly associated with vault under normal conditions, but also with anterior chamber depth, pupillary diameter and pIOL size.

Purpose: To analyze the choroidal thickness between patients with keratoconus undergoing cross-linking treatment and a healthy population, as well as to determine the factors that influence choroidal thickness. Methods: This was an observational, analytical, case–control study that was conducted from February 2021 to June 2021. Choroidal thickness was measured at different locations, including the subfoveal, nasal (1000 μm), temporal (1000 μm), superior (1000 μm) and inferior (1000 μm) locations using a Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging, which allowed us to obtain horizontal and vertical B-scans centered on the fovea. Results: This study included 21 patients with keratoconus (mean age, 21.86 ± 5.28 years) and 28 healthy patients (mean age, 24.21 ± 4.71 years). Choroidal thickness was significantly greater in patients with keratoconus than in healthy patients in each of the following measured locations: subfoveal (P < 0.001); nasal (1000 μm) (P < 0.001), temporal (1000 μm) (P < 0.001), superior (1000 μm) (P < 0.001) and inferior (1000 μm) (P < 0.001) locations. Variables such as age (ρ = − 0.09; P = 0.50) and refraction (ρ = 0.14; P = 0.34) were not found to be associated with choroidal thickness. In a stepwise multiple linear regression, the group was the single variable correlated with choroidal thickness (β = 0.88; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Choroidal thickness is thicker in keratoconus patients treated with cross-linking than in the healthy population. This finding could be associated with inflammatory choroidal mechanisms in keratoconus patients, but more studies are needed. Age and refractive error do not seem to influence choroidal thickness.

An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as a PDF only.