title: Treatment strategies for corneal ectasia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the most recent management strategies for corneal ectasia after keratorefractive surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Management options for postoperative ectasia include conservative management with various types of contact lenses such as rigid gas permeable lenses, custom wave front-guided soft contact lenses, hybrid lenses and tandem soft contact lens-rigid gas permeable lenses. Minimally invasive surgical options including corneal ring segment implantation with Intacs, KeraRings or Ferrara rings have shown to have good results in the initial period after insertion. However, there appears to be some evidence that this initial effect may regress with time. Collagen cross-linking is also minimally invasive and has been documented to stop the progression of ectasia and in some cases may cause regression. Recently, techniques combining collagen cross-linking with intracorneal ring segments or with topography-guided excimer laser treatments have shown to have promising results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early management of ectasia is essential to prevent its progression and to preserve visual potential. There are several management options that are available that may be used to reduce the need for corneal transplantation for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Emory Eye Center & Emory Vision, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bromley
authors.forename: J Bradley
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Randleman
mesh_terms: D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D054140:Refractive Surgical Procedures