Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)

Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)

• Implantable Collamer Lens or ICL is a surgical treatment for refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The surgeon will create a small incision of 3-3.5 mm on the cornea to implant the foldable ICL lens. This wound will heal on its own without the need for stitches. The lens inserted into the eye is slowly unfolded and permanently placed behind the iris and in front of the natural lens which cannot be seen with the naked eye.

• IMPLANTABLE COLLAMER LENS (ICL). Its name comes from the combination of "Collagen" and "Polymer". Because it is made with purified collagen, Collamer is compatible with your body's natural chemistry. ICLs are exclusively imported from Switzerland.

• ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens), also known as lens implantation, is another option for patients who are unsuitable for corneal refractive surgery including ReLEx, FemtoLASIK, LASIK and PRK.

• ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) lenses are permanently placed inside the eyes without removing the natural intraocular lens from the eyes.

Implantable Collamer Lens (Intraocular Lens surgery) Technology

• Visian Implantable Collamer Lens by STAAR Surgical, USA. It is a custom-made lens for an individual exclusively imported from Switzerland.

Implantable Collamer Lens Procedure   

• A surgeon will create an incision with a size of 3-3.5 mm, then implant a foldable lens based on patients’ eye prescriptions.

• Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) will slowly unfold itself once implanted behind the iris in front of the natural lens, as the surgeon’s adjustments.

• The surgical wound will be able to heal itself without any stitches.

Implantable Collamer Lens may be suitable for patients with these certain characteristics

• High refractive errors of myopia and astigmatism (above -10.00 Diopters).

• Not candidate for corneal refractive surgery such as Super ReLEx (SMILE Pro), ReLEx SMILE, FemtoLASIK, LASIK and PRK.

• Have stable eye prescriptions and are between 21 and 45 years old.

• Thin cornea.

• Extremely dry eyes.

• No other eye diseases such as glaucoma, iritis, or macular degeneration.

• Have adequate anterior chamber depth for safe implementation of the procedure.

Advantages of Implantable Collamer Lens

• It is an alternative for patients with dry eyes, thin corneas or very high refractive errors that cannot be treated with Super ReLEX (SMILE Pro), ReLEx SMILE, FemtoLASIK, LASIK or PRK.

• Low chance of side effects

• The ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) lens is made from Collamer (Collagen + Copolymer), a material with special properties that can fit well into the patient's eyes without any adverse reaction.

• The patient's natural lens remains unchanged.

• Can be treated in conjunction with other refractive errors correction methods.

• If necessary, the ICL ( Implantable Collamer Lens) can be surgically removed or replaced.

Limitations of Implantable Collamer Lens

• As ICL lenses are individually custom-made, the lead time depends on patients' s eye prescriptions, therefore patients are unable to undergo the ICL surgery immediately. There is a period of ordering lenses for about 1-2 months (depending on the type of lens).

• At TRSC, Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) is performed only one eye at a time and must recover properly before surgery on the second eye. Therefore, we require patients to undergo operations on two different days.

Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) is a surgical procedure for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. It involves implanting a custom-made lens behind the iris without removing the natural lens. Suitable for patients with high refractive errors, thin corneas, or dry eyes, it offers low side effects.