Helping Surgeons Transition to CAIRS

Clinical Report: Helping Surgeons Transition to CAIRS

Overview

At AAO 2026, Soosan Jacob described an instruction course designed to help corneal and refractive surgeons begin performing corneal allogeneic intrastromal ring segments (CAIRS). The course addressed patient selection, operating-room and tissue logistics, segment preparation, channel creation, and customization; the source does not report clinical outcome data from the course.

Background

CAIRS was developed in 2015 by Soosan Jacob as a biological alternative to synthetic intracorneal ring segments for keratoconus. Jacob described the procedure as increasingly popular, while noting that it is not yet a universal first-line treatment. The course responded to surgeons’ questions about how to start and manage the technique’s multiple procedural and logistical options. Related guidance and evidence address keratoconus management and CAIRS outcomes, but the interview itself focuses on surgical education.

Data Highlights

The article reports no numerical trial or outcome data. It describes course content and procedural options, including femtosecond-dissected and manually created channels, femtosecond-cut segments, and double-bladed trephines.

Key Findings

Jacob said the course was designed to make the transition to CAIRS easier and to help surgeons navigate the available options without feeling overwhelmed.
Topics included selecting suitable initial patients, organizing the operating theater, coordinating use of the femtosecond suite, and sourcing tissue.
Faculty discussed femtosecond-dissected and manually created channels, including manual channel creation for surgeons without access to a femtosecond laser.
Course content also covered segment preparation using femtosecond cuts or double-bladed trephines, the advantages of these options, customization, and nomograms.
Shady T. Awwad, Jack Parker, and Jacob covered procedural topics.

Clinical Implications

Jacob described the course as covering patient selection, operating-room and tissue logistics, channel creation, segment preparation, customization, and nomograms. The interview does not report course-specific patient outcomes or identify a preferred technique.

Conclusion

Jacob’s AAO 2026 course addressed practical and technical aspects of adopting CAIRS, including options for surgeons without femtosecond-laser access. The article presents the course as educational guidance and does not report course-specific patient outcomes.