Ectasia Post PRK

[sarvarsandhu]

non-progressive keratoconus was detected in one of my eye ,
collagen CXL was done 1 year back.PRK followed by repeat CXL again 1 month ago . 2 weeks after operation my vision was -0.5D .
After that it has deteriorated constantly
-0.5D at 2 weeks
-0.75D at 3 weeks
-.1.0D at 4 weeks
-1.25D , -0.25D cylinder 5 weeks .

It was communicated to me by my doctor that ectasia might develop even after PRK but chances are low .


Do you guys believe it could be ectasia post PRK ?
Now that collagen CXL is ruled out , same eye has been already treated twice.
Can intacs be an option to stop further progression ?
Thank you for any suggestions .

[LasikExpert]

Keratoconusis a disease of the cornea (clear front of the eye) that causes the cornea to become week. The internal pressure inside the eye pushes the weak cornea forward. Keratoconus commonly first presents as astigmatism because the weakness often first affects in the lower portion of the cornea. Progressive astigmatism in the lower quadrant of the cornea is a primary sign of keratoconus.

Ectasia is when the cornea becomes weakened due to removal of corneal tissue, such as Lasik, PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik. The weakened cornea bulges forward because of the internal pressure of the eye. Ectasia commonly presents as progressive myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) vision. Although astigmatism my present with ectasia, a primary difference in symptoms of keratoconus and ectasia is that keratoconus commonly first presents as progressive astigmatism in the lower quadrant of the cornea and ectasia presents as progressive myopia.

Obviously, anything that causes extreme weakness of the cornea can lead to these types of irregularities.

CxL (Corneal Crosslinking) is a newly developed method to strengthen the cornea and stop or slow the progression of keratoconus. CxL does not always provide this benefit.

Intacs are approved by the US FDA for use as a response to keratoconus and have been beneficial in both reducing the astigmatism caused by keratoconus and slowing or halting the progression. Whether or not Intacs will do the same for ectasia - which is caused by very different circumstances - is still unclear, however they have been used with mixed results.

Your ectasia may stabilize without any additional treatment and you would simply need corrective lenses. Intacs may be unnecessary, but should be considered as a viable option.