For higher levels of short- or long-sightedness or if the cornea is not suitable to get the best outcome of lasik vision correction, phakic lens implantation become the procedure of choice. There are several options for this kind of treatment. Though the costier, the ICL has been demonstrated to obtain better visual outcomes compared to Lasik for higher dgrees of errors. Long term data has confirmed safety and long term success of ICL Implantation.
The ICL (implanted contact lens, implantable collamer lens) is a synthetic lens to be implanted over the normal human lens (phakic intraocular lens). It is implanted into the posterior chamber, between the iris and the eye's own natural lens. The ICL is capable of correcting a wide range of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism without the removal of corneal tissue.
As the ICL is tiny and soft, it can be folded up so small that it can be injected into the eye in seconds through a tiny self sealing opening. Once injected, the ICL unfolds into position in the liquid between the iris and natural lens. ICL corrects the eyesight usually without any further treatment being necessary (the ICL can also be removed or replaced, if required, in another simple procedure).
THE ICL IS IMPLANTED THROUGH A VERY SMALL OPENING IN THE EYE, AND STABIISED IN ITS PLACE WITHIN FEW MINUTES
The ICL provides very predictable refractive outcomes and best quality of vision due to its placement inside the eye, as well as its optical performance. The lens is made of a superior lens material called Collamer® which provides unparalleled biocompatibility and is accepted by the eyes as not being a ‘foreign tissue’. This means that the body does not react or reject the ICL as a foreign body. Other special features of Collamer are its optical clarity and the flexibility and elasticity that allow it to be folded up and then to recover its correct shape in the liquid inside the eye. This lens has been successfully used since 1993, and still have undergone significant improvements since then.
The ICL is very useful in cases of high myopia (short sightedness) or when there is no enough thickness in the cornea to perform a safe successful lasik eye surgery. ICL operation is performed on an outpatient basis, which means that you leave the same day of the operation. Please note that someone will have to drive the patient to and from surgery. A light, topical or local anesthetic is administered and there is very little discomfort and normally no pain associated with the procedure. Some drops or perhaps oral medication may be prescribed and a visit is usually scheduled the day after surgery
