Six month interim results were recently released on the clinical trial of PiXL for low myopia.
What is PiXL?
Photorefractive intrastromal corneal crosslinking. In 20/20 Glance speak, it’s cross-linking for low myopia.
How does it work?
Just like cross-linking for keratoconus, the procedure takes about 20-30 minutes. Riboflavin is applied and the eye is irradiated with UVA light.
“It aims to cause a biomechanical shift that leads to central flattening without compromising the structural integrity of the cornea,” according to the study authors.
How is it different from cross-linking for keratoconus?
Cross-linking for keratoconus utilizes broad-beam UVA light. PiXL uses specific patterns and intensities of UVA irradiation based on patient characteristics, such as corneal topography and refractive error.
Is it FDA approved?
No.
What did the study find?
They included patients with a refractive error between -1.00 and -3.00.
At the 1, 3, and 6 months follow ups, there were statistically significant improvements in uncorrected distance visual acuity, with an average improvement of roughly one diopter.
Why are the authors excited about this?
“Current refractive procedures are invasive and weaken the cornea. PiXL is revolutionary in that it improves the refractive error by stiffening the cornea, while also being non-invasive.” (via)
