I had my INTACS implanted little over 3 months ago. I have not had the best experience with them. I posted my experience on the yahoo INTACs club board - my message was deleted by one of the founders and he accused me of spreading "disinformation" --another poster stated that halos/glare/etc are unusual w/ intacs and implied therefore that I was lying & that I couldn't have been experiencing what I described or that i didn't get the surgery at all so I will not post any of my experiences here. I am not looking to bad mouth INTACs or the procedure or to blame anyone for my results I am simply looking (does not have to be on the board) to correspond with someone who has had a similar experience. I saved for a long time to have the procedure, evaluated my options carefully and have been patient for 3 months now. I am now struggling with the prospect of having them removed and am just trying to decide if I should wait it out a little longer- I would hate to give up too soon or if there are other things short of explantation my dr. might try, etc. I would really like to be able to keep my intacs

Based on clinical data from Keravision, Intacs patients reach their best vision at about 1 year post-op. What problems are you having specifically?

Please tell us the specific problems. As well, please send me the URL to the Intacs Club, as I am curious as to who is on it, etc.

Thanks

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

I am aware that my problems aren't that common and am somewhat uneasy about sharing these since I've been told by those on other boards that I simply can't be experiencing them. However, here goes. I am a little over 3 months post-op. I have fairly significant (at least it seems so to me) astigmatism in my right eye. I also have double vision in my right eye- which comes and goes but is coming a lot less frequently. Also while some days my vision in my left eye is pretty good some days it is significantly less clear. In addition some days my light sensitivity is so severe that it is uncomfortable to look at a television in a dark room or to be outside on a cloudy day without good sunglasses. Also it seems to me that over the last few weeks my glare/halos have gotten worse rather than better. In addition my eyes are extremely blurry in the morning and it takes several hours before they clear up--- someone suggested it may be from really dry eyes so I have been using the refresh p.m. at night for the last few days and it seems to be getting better. My real concern though is that while my left eyes seems to be normal my right eye seems to me to 'ache' - I suppose this could be the dry eyes too? The weird thing is that if I put pressure on my right side of my head (like lying on my right side) it is uncomfortable--- almost like i can feel the intac-- this doesn't happen on my left. My doctor has mentioned that we may have to explant the intacd in my right eye. However, if I thought there was something short of that I could do to address these problems or that they will continue to subside I'd rather wait-- I'm just not sure how long to wait since in most of the testimonials I've heard/read people experience such good results so quickly.

the URL for the intacs board is www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/intacs

Will I be able to go back to wearing contacts when I have my INTACs explanted?

I am by no means an intacs specialist, but the complaints you are describing would lead me to believe that the intacs are causing the problem for the right eye (the astigmatism/double vision). If this is not improving, you may want t remove them (since Intacs are supposedly reversible - this is why you probably got them).
If you do remove the intac - you can wear contact lenses while you wait a few months for the eye to heal/stabalize. Then you can consider LASIK or just sticking with a contact lens in the one eye.
Noe - dryness is a cause of eye pain/discomfort. If you are concerned that this might be the cause - you should make sure you see a specialist. You may need punctal plugs to keep the level of tears higher.

Your complaints are not "abnormal" so pelase relax and don't be bothered when non-doctors make commetns to you. Again - since Intacts can be safely removed, you are in good shape.

Bet of luck

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

I must admit it makes me feel relieved to hear that. I will consult my doctor re: the dry eyes also.

thanks again!