Surgically implanted lenses, also known as Staar Visian ICLs (Implantable Contact Lenses) are an excellent option for people seeking more permanent correction of common vision errors such as myopia (nearsightedness). These implants, which resemble contact lenses, are placed between the clear front covering of the eye (cornea) and the iris (colored portion of the eye) or just behind the iris. The newest design eliminates the need for an iriditomy (hole in the iris) with a central opening in the lens. Also the newest lenses correct astigmatism. These lenses are not approved for use in all countries. Call our office for details and to see if these options are available for you, 702-362-3900. The lenses are additive rather than subtractive. In other words, no tissue is removed or reshaped or “ablated” or destroyed or reshaped. Your cornea is not reshaped and your lens is not removed. Instead your prescription from your glasses or contact lenses is placed inside your eye rather than worn on your eye (contact lenses) or in front of your eye (glasses).Implantable lenses are a surgical alternative to LASIK. Both procedures alter the way light rays enter the eye to achieve sharper focus. LASIK does this by removing tissue from the eye’s cornea to change its shape. Implantable lenses function like glasses or contact lenses, except they do it from within your eye.
The advantage of an ICL is that it is reversible, it is fairly quick, heals fairly quickly and the vision quality is generally excellent. The procedure is generally more costly than LASIK and should be done for safety in a surgery center. Patients with thin corneas, flat corneas or extreme prescriptions are among the best candidates as these patients often do not do as well with laser vision correction.