Intacs prescription inserts for keratoconus receive FDA approval under Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE)

Inserts may restore visual function, could defer need for corneal transplant

DENVER and COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - There's a new solution available for keratoconus patients who are contact lens intolerant: Intacs prescription inserts. Intacs were recently approved for the reduction or elimination of myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism in patients with keratoconus, where functional vision is no longer achievable with contact lenses or eyeglasses. Intacs inserts may defer the need for a corneal transplant for some keratoconus patients.

Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that causes a thinning of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye. As keratoconus progresses, quality of vision deteriorates, and contact lenses or glasses are no longer a satisfactory solution for most people. For many, an invasive corneal transplant was the only option - until now! Intacs prescription inserts are an exciting new option between contacts and a corneal transplant, that may be the best possible option to stabilize the cornea and improve vision.

Intacs, which are made of medical plastic, are surgically placed under the surface of the cornea. They remodel the architecture of the cornea, re-establishing a more natural dome-like shape and improving one's vision. "Intacs are a solution for many patients whose vision can't be improved with contact lenses," said Paul Cutarelli, M.D. "In most instances, Intacs are a much-preferred next step than corneal transplant."

Keratoconus is estimated to affect one in 2,000 people across all races. It is normally treated with rigid contact lenses to reshape and flatten the pronounced curve of the bulging cornea and to improve vision. The goal of the Intacs procedure is to provide the keratoconic patient with the ability to achieve improved functional vision with contact lenses or glasses, and in some cases without them.

About Paul Cutarelli, M.D. Paul E. Cutarelli, M.D., is one of the most experienced LASIK and vision correction specialists in the United States. He has performed most of his more than 45,000 LASIK and LASEK procedures in Colorado, and is among the first to perform epiLASIK and CK in Denver. He is one of only a handful of surgeons to have completed a full one-year training fellowship in refractive surgery, as well as a fellowship in corneal surgery. He has served as co-investigator on more than 15 clinical trials for refractive surgery and presbyopia.

To view or film an Intacs procedure, please contact Mary Theobald at 816-331-5191.

Paul E. Cutarelli, M.D., cirujano de LASIK en Denver, le ha mejorado la vista a más de 50,000 pacientes en el área de Denver y Colorado Springs.

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