Lens Implants &
Visian ICL™
for Vision Correction

Lens Implants such as Visian ICL™ Implantable Collamer Lens, also called an implantable contact lens, may be an option for patients who have been told that they are not good candidates for Laser Vision Correction, but who still wish to reduce or eliminate their dependence on contact lenses or eyeglasses. The Eye Care & Surgery Center may be able to provide them the opportunity to achieve their vision correction goals through the use of lens implants for vision correction that can correct moderate and high degrees of nearsightedness or myopia.

A growing trend in vision correction is the use of lens implants for Phakic Lens Implant Surgery. By using a Phakic Lens Implant, it is possible to leave the natural Crystalline Lens in place, and insert a tiny lens in front of your natural lens. This allows your vision to be corrected almost as if we were implanting a contact lens. For patients who are extremely nearsighted and told that they are not candidates for LASIK or any type of corneal laser eye surgery, we may recommend the Visian ICL ™ Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) to correct your vision.

The Visian ICL ™ Implantable Collamer Lens
The Visian ICL ™ Implantable Collamer Lens is a soft gel like Phakic Lens Implant much like an implantable contact lens. Unlike Lens Implants (IOL) used during Cataract Surgery, the Visian ICL™ does not replace the eye’s natural lens. Instead, the Visian ICL ™ is placed between the Iris and the natural lens. Because Visian ICL ™ does not replace the lens, but supplements it like a prescription contact lens, it is sometimes referred to as an implantable contact lens.

The Visian ICL™ gives us another option for correcting myopia or nearsightedness-particularly for those who are not candidates for LASIK or other types of corneal laser eye surgery. Although the Visian ICL ™ is often informally defined as an “Implantable Contact Lens”, the “ICL” in the Visian ICL ™ stands for “Implantable Collamer Lens” indicating the unique material that comprises the lens.

The Visian ICL™ is made from “Collamer”, a unique, highly biocompatible organic lens material, designed especially for the Visian Lens. The Visian ICL™ is foldable, requiring only a tiny incision. The tiny incision is so small that it does not require sutures and allows for a quick, comfortable recovery. Although the Visian ICL™ is meant to stay in the eye indefinitely, in the event that overcorrection or under correction occurs, a complication develops, or a patient’s vision changes, the Visian ICL™ can be removed or exchanged by your eye surgeon.