Femto ring

FemtoRing steps and advantages for treating keratoconus | Professor Dr. Ahmed El-Moatassem

by Blogs

The femto-ring process is considered a major breakthrough in the treatment of keratoconus with femtolizer technology, but it has become an ideal alternative to corneal grafts and corneal transplants, and has contributed in an unprecedented way to helping keratoconus owners stop the deterioration of the condition of the cornea and restore the strength of vision.

The femto-ring process is done by implanting medical rings to stabilize the corneal fibers, to reduce or eliminate myopia or astigmatism in patients with keratoconus, so that their normal vision can be restored, and there is no need for a corneal transplant.

Femto-rings for treating keratoconus

What is the femto-ring?

It is a minor surgery to reshape the corneal surface from a conical shape to a flat, natural shape, by installing specialized plastic rings that support the corneal fibers.

Stabilizing corneal microsurgery, previously used as a form of refractive surgery to treat low levels of myopia, has then received FDA approval for its use in treating keratoconus.

In this surgery, semi-circular plastic rings are used, which are inserted into the middle layer of the cornea to change the shape and location of the formed cone, eliminate some or all of the complications caused by keratoconus, and provide a good view of the various details.

However, eyeglasses may still be needed to achieve better vision, and LASIK can be performed after femto-ring to completely correct vision defects.

How does femto-ring help treat Keratoconus?

The normal shape of the cornea changes in patients with keratoconus, it becomes more curved forward (takes the shape of a cone), and this results in weak vision, and this condition deteriorates the more it is left without treatment or early intervention.

Keratoconus

And when these semi-circular rings are installed, they add volume at the edges of the cornea, and reduce their position in the middle, so they tighten and make them flat as closely as possible to the natural cornea, and this improves the strength of vision immediately.

What is the history of FemtoRing or laser corneal rings fixation?

2001: Some major medical companies manufactured specialized corneal implants to treat severe myopia.

2003: These rings received international recommendations for their use in the treatment of keratoconus due to their impressive results in tightening the corneal surface and improving vision.

2004: The FDA approved the keratoconus treatment for keratoconus.

Since that time, until now, femto-ring, or laser corneal ring fixation, has proven highly successful in treating keratoconus and some vision problems at the same time.

When is a femto-ring procedure performed for keratoconus patients?

In the past, patients had to wait a long time to reach a late stage, when it was possible to risk a corneal transplant to treat keratoconus, but now the femto-ring procedure to treat keratoconus is safely performed in the early stages.

And most of the cases that need femto-ring surgery are:

  • Intermediate or advanced keratoconus.
  • People with keratoconus who suffer from severe nearsightedness.
  • People with keratoconus who suffer from astigmatism.

What are the steps of the femto-ring process?

This procedure involves using local anesthetic drops to numb the eye, and using a clamp to keep the eye open at all times. A semicircular ring or two is placed in the deep layers of the cornea through a small incision made with the laser beam. The FemtoRing to stabilize the cornea takes about 15-20 minutes.

The three basic steps for this procedure come in this order:

Step 1: A single small incision is made on the surface of the cornea with a laser.

Step 2: A centering instrument is placed on the surface of the eye for several minutes to help stabilize the eye and ensure correct alignment of the insertion ring. During this time, the layers of the cornea are separated at the outer edge where the rings will be placed.

Step 3: The small hole in the cornea is closed.

Follow-up visits are often needed to monitor the healing process and evaluate the visual benefits of the surgery. In some cases – even after the success of the operation – there may still be a need for medical glasses or LASIK operations to completely correct vision defects in some cases.

When does vision improve after FemtoRing?

The patient can go home on the same day, with a commitment to apply antibiotic drops and soothing eye drops that are prescribed by the doctor. The patient notices a significant improvement in vision from the first day, and it continues to improve for a period of 1 to 3 weeks.

What are the advantages of the femtogenic ring for treating keratoconus?

In fact, we can skip the word “surgery” to describe this procedure due to its extreme simplicity. And because it is completely done without any scalpel, it completely takes less than 10 minutes. Among the advantages of the femto-ring process:

1- It saves you from corneal grafts or difficult corneal transplants.
2- The cornea is raised instead of falling down, to prevent the deterioration of the condition of the cornea.
3- Helps improve eyesight and treat nearsightedness and astigmatism.
4- It has a high success rate, and it is considered a completely safe process.

Professor Ahmed El-Moatassem is considered one of the first surgeons to perform FemtoRing for more than 15 years in Egypt, the United States of America and the UAE. He is currently traveling between Egypt, Iraq and the UAE to assist various cases of treating keratoconus successfully in less than ten

what-is-astigmatism

The latest technology to treat astigmatism Contoura vision

by Blogs

Astigmatism, or astigmatism, is a mismatch between the surface of the cornea and the inside of the eye. Often the problem occurs at birth and may be associated with short or long eyesight.

Astigmatism is a common defect that can be treated with lenses or surgery, but with the development of medical technologies, it has become easier to treat with Wave light Allegretto ex500.

What is astigmatism?

The human eye is naturally spherical, so the light is refracted evenly on the eye to clearly show the vision. In patients with astigmatism, the eye is shaped in an oval, which reflects light in more than one direction, and allows a certain part of the object to be seen to appear clearly at the expense of the other part, which makes the image blurred.

What are the symptoms of astigmatism?

Symptoms of astigmatism can vary from person to person, some people may not experience any symptoms at all, and the symptoms of astigmatism include:

  • Blurry or distorted vision in all directions (near or far).
  • Difficulty seeing at night.
  • Eye strain or discomfort from vision.
  • Squinting (pressing the eyes hard to see).
  • Eye irritation.
  • Feeling of headache.

What are the methods of treating astigmatism?

Almost all cases can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses, and in some minor cases you may not need this procedure if there are no other vision problems present. While in some other cases astigmatism is associated with some visual problems such as keratoconus, in these cases there are two types of treatment:

1- Corrective Lenses

If you have astigmatism, your doctor will likely prescribe a special type of soft contact lens called toric. It can be made to bend light in one direction more than the other. If your condition is more severe, you may use rigid contact lenses, and your ophthalmologist will determine which is best for you.

2- Refractive processes

Refractive eye surgery refers to any surgical procedure used to repair vision problems. Recent years have witnessed tremendous developments in this field. Laser refractive eye surgery allows many patients to see better than at any other time in their lives.

Most types of vision correction surgery reshape the cornea to allow light to travel through it and focus properly on the back of the eye or the retina.

What is the difference between LASIK and Contoura vision?

LASIK technique is a surgical procedure that uses lasers to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In LASIK surgery, a thin incision is made in the cornea using either a microkeratome blade or a femtosecond laser. The surgeon folds the thin wound, then removes some corneal tissue beneath the wound using a laser.

In patients with nearsightedness or farsightedness, the goal of LASIK surgery is to restore the normal shape of the cornea and create light on the retina by making the cornea flat. LASIK can also correct astigmatism by correcting the shape of the cornea that is irregular to the normal shape of the cornea.

While Contoura vision is the latest medical development in the field of refractive surgery. During the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in Las Vegas, November 14-17, 2015, Alcon presented new research findings to confirm the technology’s ability to treat glaucoma and cataracts and perform refractive surgeries.

Contoura Vision is a Tapography-guided LASIK technology, designed to provide surgeons with the ability to perform specialized laser procedures on patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness or whichever is associated with astigmatism.

What is wave light allegretto ex500 technology for astigmatism?

It is a new technology characterized by the inclusion of the ALLEGRO analyzer, whose main task is to measure the ability of the eye to see. The device works by sitting the patient in front of him and placing his head on the headrest and focusing on a specific image inside the device. The illuminated target helps the patient to maintain the stability of his eyes while taking the picture.

The device is characterized by high accuracy in reading measurements by means of a regular network of red spots flashing once while taking the picture. With ALLEGRO Analyzer, the patient will be able to get an idea of ​​his own eye defects and understand their causes.

What is the difference between the Wave light allegretto and other technologies?

In just a few minutes, you can start seeing the world in great detail, among the features of the technology:

High resolution

The doctor helps to correct vision by laser and reshape the cornea, while allowing light to pass through and refract precisely without suffering from astigmatism problems.

Super speed

Unlike the commonly used techniques, the device takes only seconds of laser treatment on each eye.

Effectiveness

You may notice clearer vision immediately after the procedure, and your vision will continue to improve in the following months.