• AWARD WINNING FACILITY
• OUR PATIENTS
• MOST ADVANCED VISION CORRECTION
• Our Wavefront Warranty

Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens)

When is the Visian ICL is the treatment of choice?

Some patients may not be ideal candidates for LASIK or Epi-LASIK. For patients with extreme nearsightedness, very thin corneas, or unusually shaped corneas, the Visian ICL may be the best method of vision correction. In 2005, Dr. Bindi was among the first group of surgeons in the country selected to use the Visian ICL.

The Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) is a lens implant, which is capable of correcting extremely large amounts of nearsightedness (–3.00D to –20.00D). This is well beyond the range of LASIK. The soft, flexible nature of the Visian ICL allows it to be inserted behind the cornea through a self-sealing micro-incision. This procedure can be thought of as placing a contact lens inside the eye, to stay there indefinitely or removed if necessary. The lens is made of a very biocompatible material, called collamer, that doesn't cause a reaction inside the eye. It also contains an ultraviolet light filter.

Though the U.S. FDA approved the Visian ICL in 2005 for patients between the ages of 21-45, it has been available worldwide since 1995. In the FDA clinical studies, 526 eyes underwent the lens implant procedure, averaging -10 D of pre-operative nearsightedness. Three years after the procedure, nearly 95% of patients had “20/40 vision or better” without glasses⁴. These are remarkably good results considering the extremely high level of nearsightedness that was treated.

Lens Implants are a LASIK Alternative Offered at Laser Eye Center in San Jose & Pleasanton. Lens Implants have been used for over half a century in various forms of eye surgery. With the Visian ICL, the eye’s natural lens is left in place. The lens implant procedure is done as an outpatient procedure, under topical eye drop anesthesia. Most patients experience little to no discomfort during the actual procedure, which takes about 15 minutes. Remarkably, many patients report a nearly instantaneous improvement in their vision within hours, similar to LASIK.

In the FDA clinical studies, in 204 eyes (averaging -12.6 D nearsightedness) 93.6% of patients saw “20/40 or better” without glasses one year after the procedure. At three years after the procedure, 92% of patients had uncorrected vision of “20/40 or better”, and 61.7% were seeing “20/25 or better” without any glasses¹. In a recent study published in the scientific journal Ophthalmology, for the treatment of extreme nearsightedness (between –9.00D and –19.50D), 72.2% of patients who received underwent lens implants in one eye and LASIK in the other preferred the lens implant eye because of the better quality of vision³.

If you are interested in the Visian ICL or have been told that you are not a candidate for LASIK, call our office for more information.

References:

1. Continued follow-up reinforces efficacy, safety of myopic phakic IOL. Ophthalmology Times, October 23, 2004.
2. FDA Clinical Trials, Data on file, Ophtec USA, Inc.
3. El Danasoury MA, Maghraby AE, Gamali TO. Comparison of Iris-fixed Artisan Lens Implantation with Excimer Laser In Situ Keratomileusis in Correcting Myopia between –9.00 and –19.50
4. Diopters. Ophthalmology, 2002; 109:955-64.
5. FDA Clinical Trials, Data in file, Staar Surgical, Inc.
6. DR Sanders MD PHD, JA Vuchick MD. Comparison of Implantable Contact Lens and Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis for Moderate to High Myopia. Cornea, 22 (4): 324-331, 2003.

Top 5 LASIK Concerns

• LASIK & Realistic Results
• LASIK & Safety
• LASIK & Dry Eyes
• LASIK & Night Vision
• LASIK & Near Vision
• LASIK & Cost

Team Doctor
Oakland Raiders

Television Medical Consultant