Thin corneas are one of the most common reasons a patient is not suitable for laser eye surgery. The assessment of corneal thickness and residual bed depth is a fundamental part of refractive triage at Blue Fin Vision®.
Laser procedures reshape the cornea by removing tissue from the stromal layer. If insufficient tissue remains after treatment, corneal biomechanical integrity may be compromised, raising the risk of postoperative ectasia, a progressive destabilisation of the cornea that is both rare and serious.¹
For patients with thinner corneas, ICL surgery offers a pathway that avoids altering the cornea entirely. During ICL surgery a thin lens is placed behind the iris while the cornea is left structurally unchanged. Corneal thickness, shape, and nerve architecture are fully preserved.²
At Blue Fin Vision®, tomographic screening identifying a thin or borderline cornea, even in a patient with a prescription that would otherwise be suitable for laser, redirects the assessment toward ICL as the safer option. Modern central-port ICL designs have demonstrated strong safety and visual outcomes in this patient group.³
Detailed corneal tomography is not optional in this assessment. It is the investigation that makes the distinction between a safe and an unsafe laser candidate.
References
- Roberts CJ, Dupps WJ Jr. Biomechanics of corneal ectasia and biomechanical treatments. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2014;40(6):991–1003.
- Packer M. The Implantable Collamer Lens with a central port: review of the literature. Clin Ophthalmol. 2018;12:2427–2438.
- Shimizu K, Kamiya K, Igarashi A, Shiratani T. Long-term comparison of posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens with and without a central hole implantation for moderate to high myopia and myopic astigmatism. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016;95(14):e3270.
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