CAIRSPlan: CAIRS Surgery Planning for Keratoconus

CAIRS stands for Corneal Allogenic Intrastromal Ring Segments — segments of sterilised donor corneal tissue implanted within the cornea to reshape and support it, most commonly for keratoconus. The technique was first described by Dr Soosan Jacob in 2018. Because the segments are human tissue rather than synthetic plastic, they integrate well within the cornea and can be customised to each patient's disease pattern.

Traditional intracorneal ring segments (such as synthetic PMMA rings) can carry risks of extrusion, inflammation or infection in some eyes. CAIRS uses allogenic (donor) corneal tissue instead, which offers better biocompatibility, can be placed at more effective depths, and can be customised in size and shape. For many patients CAIRS can improve corneal shape and vision while avoiding or delaying corneal transplantation.

CAIRSPlan (cairsplan.com) is a free online surgical planning resource for CAIRS surgery, created by Dr David Gunn and Dr Brendan Cronin of Focus Vision, Brisbane. It helps corneal surgeons plan customised CAIRS treatment based on the Brisbane nomogram for femtosecond-laser-assisted CAIRS, and is used by surgeons globally.

CAIRSPlan is a professional tool intended for ophthalmic surgeons planning CAIRS procedures. It is not a patient self-assessment tool. If you are a patient with keratoconus, the right starting point is a consultation with a corneal specialist who can assess whether CAIRS, corneal cross-linking, or another treatment is appropriate for your eyes.

Yes. Focus Vision provides CAIRSPlan free to the global ophthalmology community, in the same spirit as our free Refractive Outcomes Analyzer. Sharing the tools we build is part of how we contribute to better outcomes for patients everywhere — not just in Brisbane.

Yes — Dr David Gunn and Dr Brendan Cronin perform CAIRS surgery through the Queensland Eye Institute in Brisbane, where they run one of Australia's most experienced CAIRS practices. CAIRS is not performed at Focus Vision itself: Focus Vision is where they share the CAIRSPlan planning tool with the global surgical community. If you have keratoconus and would like to explore whether CAIRS is an option for you, get in touch and our team will guide you to the right pathway.

No single treatment suits every keratoconic eye. Depending on the stage and pattern of your keratoconus, options may include corneal collagen cross-linking to halt progression, CAIRS to improve corneal shape, specialty contact lenses, or in advanced cases corneal transplantation. A corneal specialist assessment — including corneal tomography — is needed to determine the right pathway for your eyes.