The Jacob double-bladed CAIRS trephine with donor stromal tissue

Medix21 has secured the exclusive New Zealand distribution rights for the CAIRS (corneal allogeneic intrastromal ring segments) double-bladed trephine for keratoconus.

Plastic intrastromal corneal ring segments have been successfully used in patients with keratoconus to delay or prevent a lamellar keratoplasty or penetrating keratoplasty. The CAIRS procedure, pioneered by India’s Drs Soosan Jacob and Amar Agarwal, uses donor corneal tissue strips. Together with cross-linking techniques in progressive cases, it is a sutureless and reversible solution (although long-term reversibility has yet to be studied) that does not preclude subsequent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), said Dr Jacob.

Camille Furnandiz, Medix21’s surgical sales manager, said CAIRS’ clinical advantages over the synthetic option include its increased flexibility: it is less likely to extrude or cause corneal melt; can be inserted at 50% corneal depth or more superficially; and can be implanted in corneas thinner than 450-500μm which is the limit for synthetic segments. Its lower infection risk and better biocompatibility with donor corneal tissue means it can also be expected to eclipse the five-to-10-year lifespan of a synthetic implant, she said.

Dr David Gunn, Queensland Eye Institute, recently performed Australia’s first CAIRS procedure, which takes 30 minutes, with patients expected to notice significant improvements within the following 30 days.

For more, see http://eyeonoptics.com/articles/archive/cairs-better-than-icrs