Staar Visian ICL

There are many unique advantages of STAAR® Surgical Company’s Visian ICL™.
For years, the only method of permanent vision correction that didn’t involve glasses or contact lenses was laser eye surgery. With the advent of the Visian ICL, however, that’s all changed. Now, you can enjoy “High Definition Visian™” – vision correction that’s sharper, clearer, more vivid, and has greater depth and dimension – in a simple, 15-minute outpatient procedure. Read on for more information why the Visian ICL could be the best vision correction procedure for you!

High Definition Visian™
Quality of Vision Excellence – High Definition Visian™
The Visian ICL offers vision correction that’s sharper, clearer, more vivid, and has greater depth and dimension than other procedures. The main advantage of the Visian ICL over traditional corrective laser eye surgery is that patients may experience significant improvement in quality of vision after the lens is implanted 1. When compared to the results of corneal refractive surgery, the Visian ICL may produce superior vision quality as evidenced by fewer higher order aberrations 2. Patients experience a nearly immediate visual recovery and “Wow!” results.
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Technologically Advanced Lens Material
Unlike other phakic IOLs, the Visian ICL is made from Collamer, a technologically advanced lens material exclusive to STAAR Surgical Company. Because of the collagen base in Collamer, it is biocompatible with the eye and may provide superior optical performance 3. Learn more about the composition and advantages of Collamer.

Exceptional Patient Experience
Simple, Safe & Invisible Lens
Because the Visian ICL is implanted in the posterior chamber, behind the iris, unlike other phakic IOLs, the lens is invisible to both the patient and any observer. Also, its positioning in the eye maintains normal iris function, promotes stability, and may reduce potential complications. The entire lens insertion procedure can take as little as 15 minutes!

The “Wow” Factor
After the simple 15-minute outpatient procedure, patients experience an immediate improvement in vision quality and are “Wowed” by the results. In fact, the quality of vision achieved is many times better than any previous vision correction solution.
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Comfort From The Start
Short Recovery Time
The recovery time for the Visian ICL is very quick and comfortable, and may be as little as a day, due to the very small size of the incision required. The incision needed to implant the foldable Visian ICL is tiny and located on the far edge of the cornea, where there is little danger of it interfering with vision. Once the lens is implanted, sutures are typically not needed to close the incision, further simplifying the procedure. Read more about the safety of the Visian ICL.

Reduced Risk of Complications 
Patients undergoing corneal refractive procedures, such as LASIK and PRK, may be susceptible to side effects associated with corneal surgery including dry eye and thinning of the cornea. The LASIK procedure involves removal of tissue from the cornea, which means some of its complications may be more difficult to correct than the possible complications of the Visian ICL. All surgical procedures carry some risk; however, the side effects or complications related to the Visian ICL, in most cases, can be corrected by your own surgeon.
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Solution For Life
Removable
One of the most common concerns that people have about corrective laser eye surgery is that the procedure permanently changes the eye, and what will happen if a complication arises. One of the important advantages of the Visian ICL is that while it can permanently correct your vision, in the unlikely event that an ICL patient experiences negative side effects after surgery, the lens can be removed and/or replaced if necessary. Also, concerns involving the cornea typically do not apply to the Visian ICL, as no natural tissue is removed or changed (reshaped) in any way during implantation.

Unique UV Blocking
Long-term exposure to UV radiation can damage the eyes; and longer term or more intense exposure increases the chance of eye disorders including the development of cataracts and some retinal problems. As an added feature, the Visian ICL advanced lens material contains a UV blocker that actually prevents harmful UVA and UVB rays from entering the eye, possibly preventing the development of UV related eye disorders.
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Patient Preferred Technology
Proven Track Record
Over 15 years of research and development has made the Visian ICL a leader in phakic IOL technology. There have been over 125,000 Visian ICL implants performed worldwide. And when asked about the procedure, over 99% of the patients were highly satisfied.
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Wide Treatment Range
The Visian ICL has proven to be effective in patients within a wide range of refractive errors. In fact, the Visian ICL can correct myopia from as low as -3.0 diopters to -16.0 diopters and reduce myopia from -16.0 diopters up to as high as -20.0 diopters with or without astigmatism. Before now, some of these individuals were not candidates for surgical eye correction. Clinical studies have shown how the Visian ICL is truly a breakthrough myopia treatment in terms of vision correction results. Because implantation of the phakic IOL does not require any structural alteration of the eye, results are predictable and very stable 3. Read more about the results of ICL corrective eye surgery.

Now that you have read about some of the advantages of the Visian ICL, you may wish to learn more about its use as an alternative to corrective laser eye surgery; contact STAAR Surgical Company for clinical trial results and more. To find out if you are a good candidate for the phakic IOL, find a qualified Visian ICL surgeon near you who is qualified to perform the Visian ICL procedure.
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1. Sarver EJ, Sanders DR, Vukich, JA. Image quality in myopic eyes corrected with laser in situ keratomileusis and phakic intraocular lens. J Refract Surg. 2003;19(4):397-404.?
2. Martin RG, Sanders DR. Higher order aberrations following implantation of four foldable lens designs. Presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS); June 21-26, 2003; New Orleans, La. 
?3. ICL in Treatment of Myopia (ITM) Study Group. United States Food and Drug Administration clinical trial of the Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) for moderate to high myopia. Ophthalmology. 2004;111:1683-1692

content by permission Staar