Department of Ophthalmology

ICR
Intrastromal Corneal Ring

he ICR ring is a proprietary device to reduce or eliminate the need for corrective eye wear for people with myopia (nearsightedness). It is an optically clear, split ring approximately six millimeters in diameter and is made from an acrylic that has been used widely in intraocular lenses since 1952. The ICR ring is expected to provide a long term solution to myopia by reshaping the anterior curvature of the cornea without disturbing the optical zone of the cornea.

The ICR ring is designed to be inserted between the layers of the corneal tissue through a small incision made in the periphery of the cornea. Unlike other surgical vision correction techniques, the ICR procedure involves no cutting or removal of tissue in the central cornea. The company believes that the ICR procedure will be a relatively simple procedure that can be performed in as little as 30 minutes on an outpatient basis utilizing widely accepted ophthalmologic surgical techniques.

The ICR ring is an investigational device currently undergoing human clinical trials in the United States, Europe and South America. Although preliminary and limited in scope, initial clinical trials in myopic patients have demonstrated significant improvement in vision within one day of insertion of the ICR ring.

For more information, contact Dr. Asbell's office.

Penny Asbell, M.D.
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
Box 1183
5 East 98th Street, 7th floor
New York, NY 10029
Tel: (212) 241-0939 or (212) 241-8823
Fax: (212) 289-5945
E-mail: penny.asbell@mssm.edu

The Next Miracles
From article in U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 30,1998
by Mary Brophy Marcus

Use: Implantable device that changes curve of eye to correct nearsightedness
Status: Will be submitted for FDA approval within the year. Could be approved by 1999. Rings for farsightedness and astigmatism are in trials.
Cost: Around $2,000

More than 20 million nearsighted Americans may soon have one more alternative to glasses, contacts, and irreversible surgery: the intrastromal corneal ring, or ICR, made by KeraVision of Fremont, Calif. The device has already improved myopia in more than a thousand study patients.

The ring is not actually a ring anymore (it has evolved through testing) but two feather-light, paper-thin arcs made of a polymer that has been used in cataract surgery for years. The arcs are inserted into the cornea through a tiny incision. Once in place, they form a circle around the edges of the iris, the colored part of the eye, and alter the curvature of the eye.

Ring surgery takes 10 minutes and uses only an anesthetic eyedrop. Recovery is rapid. "I drove myself home after my second eye was done," says Dave Hollings, 37, of Bonita, Calif., whose 20/70 vision is now better than 20/20. My only regret: He can't donate his eyes for organ transplant when he dies.