After several years of development, the AcuFocus KAMRA intracorneal inlay for the correction of presbyopia has been commercially released in Singapore with promising results, according to Donald T.H. Tan, MD.
Dr. Tan reported the outcomes of presbyopia correction surgery he performed on 15 patients using the corneal implant at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) held this week in Barcelona, Spain.
The AcuFocus KAMRA corneal implant procedure
The AcuFocus KAMRA intracorneal inlay corrects presbyopia by creating a pinhole camera effect in the central zone of the cornea.
The small (3.8 mm diameter) opaque circular device has a 1.6 mm opening in the center. This small aperture increases depth of focus to improve near vision without significantly affecting distance vision.
The corneal inlay is typically implanted in only one eye of a person with good uncorrected distance vision, producing a modified monovision effect: one eye is left untreated for optimal distance vision and the other eye receives the AcuFocus KAMRA inlay to improve near vision.
The distance vision of the eye receiving the implant may be slightly blurred after the procedure, but usually this is not noticed with both eyes open.
The implantation procedure involves creating a corneal flap (as in LASIK) or a small pocket in the central cornea with a femtosecond laser. The device is then positioned in the center of the cornea. After implantation, the corneal wound self-seals without stitches.
Visual outcomes with the AcuFocus KAMRA corneal inlay
Prior to the procedure, the 15 patients receiving the corneal implant had near uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) worse than 20/60. One week after surgery, mean near UCVA was 20/30, and one month after surgery it was 20/25, Dr. Tan said.
Binocular distance visual acuity remained the same after the monocular surgery, he said.
In addition to performing the monocular inlay procedure on presbyopes with good distance vision, Dr. Tan has also implanted the AcuFocus KAMRA device as part of a combined surgical procedure for people with nearsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.
In the combination procedure, all-laser LASIK is performed on both eyes to correct distance vision, and then the inlay is implanted in one eye to improve near vision.
Dr Tan said the AcuFocus KAMRA corneal inlay is easy to implant and typically has little or no negative affect on the distance vision of the implanted eye and patients retain good depth perception.
The KAMRA device is not yet approved for use in the United States, but clinical trials are underway to fulfill requirements for FDA approval in the near future.
SOURCE: Intracorneal inlay for presbyopia achieves success in early commercial implantation. Ocular Surgery News website (OSNsupersite.com). September 16, 2009.
Tags: inlay, intracorneal inlay