Pune study finds special lens implants can help patients who can't get LASIK
Pune: A 35-year-old man from US with -3 myopia, who couldn't undergo LASIK due to thin corneas and other conditions, recently underwent an advanced surgical procedure in Pune to fix his eyesight.
Doctors said the patient went through an Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) procedure, which involves surgically placing flexible lenses on the eye to correct vision problems such as myopia. His successful treatment was mentioned in a research paper on the technique by his doctors, who said it can be safely extended to people deemed unfit for LASIK.
"This patient's thin cornea along with low myopia meant LASIK was out of the question," said Dr Vardhaman Kankariya, director of Asian Eye Hospital and Laser Institute and the lead investigator of the research.
"He wanted to completely rid himself of his glasses so we went for what's known as EVO ICL technology, found to be effective in over 300 people with low to moderate myopia," Dr Kankariya said, adding that the lenses were earlier used to treat only high or very high myopia.
"But our study showed the lenses had significant promise in patients with lower myopia as well," he said.
Low myopia or patients with a 'glasses number' of less than -6 are sometimes rejected for LASIK due to thin corneas, keratoconus or severe dry eyes.
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Such patients will need a pair of glasses for life. But the study, the doctors said, found that ICL implants helped these people ditch spectacles.
Dr Kankariya said: "We evaluated patients with mild to moderate myopia (up to -6 diopters) and with unsuitable corneas for LASIK. All 361 evaluated patients were successfully treated with ICL implants, offering them spectacle-free vision. Our study has been peer reviewed and earned the 'Best Research Paper Award' at the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) annual conference that was held in Delhi in April.
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The ICL procedure involves placing a thin, flexible, biocompatible lens in front of the eye's natural lens. Unlike LASIK, ICL does not require corneal thinning, does not induce dry eyes and is fully reversible, a feature the doctors said made it an ideal alternative for patients with borderline corneal parameters.
Dr Shirin Sonvane, presenting author of the study, said: "The procedure takes 5 minutes, is painless and does not require anesthesia.
This study gives hope to many myopia patients who earlier had no option but to depend on glasses or contact lenses."
Dr Viraj Padwal, a contributor to the study said: "Traditionally, ICL was reserved for patients with high myopia, more than -8D, but this study demonstrated it is effective in lower myopia ranges as well."
Dr Harshul Tak, executive committee member of the Indian Intraocular and Refractive Society said nearly 10% of those applying for LASIK are rejected due to multiple reasons.
"But this study on ICL implants, for LASIK-rejected patients with low myopia, is good research. There have been very few reports of the ICL procedure on such patients in the past. This is the largest study in the world on such patients, making it a valuable reference for ophthalmologists globally," Dr Tak said.
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