Corneal ring surgery

The operation of corneal ring implantation is one of the procedures that may be used by ophthalmologist to correct the defect in the cornea of the eye (the transparent front part of the eye) or the so-called keratoconus, this case is known as the corneal convexity and low thickness resulting in the emergence of cornea to become cone-shaped, which leads to a blurring vision, in addition to high sensitivity to light.

The ophthalmologist implants a ring made up of two tiny pieces made of plastic, and fastens it inside the cornea to reshape the outer surface.

The treatment lasts about 3 days.

Some patients may resort to the installation of rings in the cornea because of the keratoconus problem, which resulted in severe myopia (nearsightedness), in addition to astigmatism accompanied by an annoying headache for the patient.

Before the approval of corneal ring implantation, the patient should undergo some of the examinations required by the ophthalmologist, including:

• A comprehensive examination of the eye, including the measurement of some structures within the eye as well as examination of the level of vision.
• Cornealtopography; to reveal its thickness and surface.

Some patients may suffer from some complications and risks after undergoing one of the keratoconus surgeries, such as: 

• A slight loss of vision due to eye inflammation or mistiness.
• Eye bulge with pain.
• Rings moving out of place.
• Eye perforation.
• The rings may emerge from their place.
• Chronic pain in the eye.

The surgery of corneal rings implantation includes the following steps:

The installation of corneal rings can be done under local or general anesthesia, depending on what the ophthalmologist decides according to the patient's case and age.

The surgeon first sterilizes the eye, spaces the eyelids, then anesthetizes the eye with a special drop in the case of local anesthesia or may use general anesthesia in rare cases.

After this, he makes incisions at the outer edge of the cornea and then opens a tunnel between the layers of the corneal stroma away from the central optical zone, after that the surgeon inserts the rings to the inside of the tunnel, and after the rings are installed in the cornea, the cuts are closed.

It may take about 5 to 10 minutes to install corneal rings.

The patient can return to his normal life after one to two hours of the corneal rings implants, but the improvement in eyesight may be somehow slow, the patient must adhere to the use of antibiotics drops of the eye and some other drugs to avoid infections and other complications.

The benefit of the corneal rings implants is that it does not cause itching or tears after the installation, and that the vision becomes clear without blur often, but it should be noted that dispensing the glasses after the installation of the rings in the cornea is difficult, as these procedures aim to help the patient to see better using a medical eyeglass, and not to dispense with them permanently.