Implantable Contact Lens Information

If you’re not a good candidate for LASIK, you can still enjoy permanent vision correction with Implantable Contact Lenses. Implantable Contact Lenses, or ICLs, are powerful refractive tools with the ability to permanently fix vision problems that may not be fixed by other methods.

These lenses correct vision like external glasses or contacts do, except Implantable Contact Lens are placed inside your eye. These implantable lenses are similar to intraocular lenses, which are used in cataract surgery to replace your eye’s natural lens that has been damaged.

The difference is, during Implantable Contact Lens surgery, you eye’s natural lens is kept in tact and works in conjunction with the implanted contact.

The Process
Our experienced refractive surgeon, Dr. Bret fisher, will make a small incision in your cornea. They will place the think, pliable lenses behind your iris and in front of your eye’s natural lens.

Implantable lenses are also ideal if you have a condition that LASIK surgery is unable to correct. Extreme nearsightedness, for example, is a condition that usually requires ICLs as opposed to LASIK.

The two types of ICLs approved by the FDA are the Verisyse and the Visian Implantable Contact Lens.

Verisyse

The Verisyse lens is often an option for those with moderate to severe myopia who are not LASIK candidates. Unlike other ICLs, the Verisyse lens is placed in front of the iris, and the natural lens is left in the eye, allowing for uninterrupted focusing ability.

Visian ICL

The Visian Implantable Contact Lens is made from a collagen co-polymer and is placed behind the iris.

The ICL Procedure

The procedure to implant these lenses takes less than 30 minutes. Dr. Fisher will make a small incision in the cornea and place the lens. The Implantable Contact Lens procedure has a 95 percent success rate, and is practically pain-free. You will notice improvements to your vision the same day as your surgery. And unlike LASIK, the implantable contact lens is removable.