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