Safety and Visual Outcome of Visian Toric ICL Implantation after Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking in Keratoconus: Up to 2 Years of Follow-Up

Abstract

Purpose. To evaluate the long-term safety and clinical outcome of phakic Visian toric implantable collamer lens (ICL) insertion after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in progressive keratoconus.Methods. This was a retrospective study of 30 eyes (19 patients), with progressive keratoconus, who underwent sequential CXL followed by Visian toric ICL implantation after 6 months.Results. At baseline, 6 eyes had stage I, 14 eyes stage II, and 10 eyes stage III keratoconus graded by Amsler-Krumeich classification. At 6 months after CXL, onlyK(steep) andK(max) decreased significantly from baseline, with no change in visual acuity or refraction. Flattening in keratometric readings was stable thereafter. There was significant improvement in mean uncorrected distance visual acuity (1.57 ± 0.56 to 0.17 ± 0.06 logMAR,P<0.001) and mean corrected distance visual acuity (0.17 ± 0.08 to 0.11 ± 0.05 logMAR,P<0.001) at 12 months after ICL implantation that was maintained at the 2-year follow-up. Mean cylinder power and mean spherical equivalent (SE) also decreased significantly after ICL implantation. A small hyperopic shift in SE (+0.25 D) was observed at 2 years that did not alter visual outcomes.Conclusions. Visian toric ICL implantation following CXL is an effective option for improving visual acuity in patients with keratoconus up to 2 years.