Internal Collamer Lens, also known as ICL, is an ideal solution for those that have high nearsightedness, thinner corneas, dry eyes or has ever been told they are “not good candidates for LASIK.”

The ICL provides immediate vision improvement, similar to LASIK, and is a painless procedure. This procedure is great for someone looking for an alternative to LASIK. The ICL greatly reduces glare and halo around lights, does not induce dry eye, and provides the patient with excellent high quality distance vision. Collamer, which the ICL is made out of, is 100 percent pure collagen copolymer material- the body’s immune system does not see this material as a foreign body. The versatility of the ICL offers a wider treatment range for myopia than LASK and PRK procedures because it can treat very high amounts of nearsightedness. The ICL is a very simple procedure and requires no maintenance for the patient once the procedure is completed. The ICL has a great safety track record with over 55,000 implanted world-wide, in fact Dr. Morris was the first surgeon to be ICL certified in San Diego. The ICL is a permanent vision treatment, however, if for any reason a patient did need to have the lens removed it is completely removable and does not change the structure of the eye like LASIK or PRK does.

ICL: The Procedure

The ICL procedure takes about fifteen minutes to complete both eyes. The procedure is typically performed in a surgi-center below our office in Encinitas. Light sedation helps relax the patient, but the patient remains awake during the procedure. The doctor creates a very tiny incision in a part of the eye that has no nerve endings so the patient does not feel anything. Then, the doctor slides the lens into a small micro-opening, placing it inside the eye, just behind the iris and in front of the eye’s natural lens. The Visian ICL is designed to stay in position with no special care.

Type of Refractive Error that the ICL Can Correct

Myopia (nearsightedness) & Correcting For Distance: persons with myopia have a harder time seeing objects in the distance but can usually see up close. The ICL only corrects myopic patients with little to no astigmatism. Sometimes a patient with a very high, nearsighted correction has too much nearsightedness to only be corrected through Laser Vision Correction, so the ICL is a great option for them. However, it is possible to have a combination treatment of an ICL with a laser treatment on a separate day to correct the astigmatism. The ICL requires that a patient be as low as -3.00 Diopters, and can go as high as -20.00 Diopters of prescription.

ICL Is Good For Those Who:

1. Have at least -3.00 Diapoters of  prescription
2. Between the ages of 21-50
3. Have a stable prescription for at least 1 year
4. Have little to no astigmatism or have been approved for laser treatment in addition to the ICL
5. Have Dry Eye, Thinner Cornea or have been deemed Not a “good Lasik candidate”

Appointments

Complimentary Consultation: We offer a complimentary consultation for patients that are interested and think they would be a good candidate for the ICL. At this visit, the patient has a vision exam as well as topographical imaging of the cornea. These measurements help the doctor understand the patient’s vision and what options are available to accomplish the patient’s visual goals. The doctor examines the patient and goes over all vision correcting options. If the patient is deemed a candidate for ICL, or another procedure, all other appointments are then scheduled.

Pre-Operative appointment: At Morris Eye Group we do a very through exam with the patient to rule out any possible reasons a patient would not qualify for a procedure.  The information and tests we perform include: health history, automated refraction, full refraction, Keratomy reading, biometry reading, endothelial cell count, topography of the eye, pachymetry reading, intraocular pressure, white to white measurements, visual acuity exam, dilated exam, cycloplegic refraction and exam, and discussion with the doctor. The patient is given post operative instructions, eye drops and appointment times.

Pre- Treatment Laser: One to two weeks prior to the ICL procedure, your doctor will perform a YAG Laser Iridotomy. This procedure makes one or two small openings near the edge of the iris, which is the colored part of the eye. These openings serve as outlets that will allow the fluid in your eye to circulate around the lens. This process takes about five minutes to complete and is necessary before going forward with the ICL procedure. This laser treatment is performed in the same surgi-centers as the ICL procedure and the patient will need a driver for the day of the laser treatment.

Procedure Day:  On the procedure day, the patient will need a driver and can expect to be at the surgi-center for about two hours. The procedure itself only takes about fifteen minutes.  The patient will have some light sedation and numbing drops applied to the eyes. After the procedure, the patient will be discharged and directed to come back to our office for a post-operative check about two hours after the procedure.

Post-Operative Care: On the day of the procedure, the patient has their first post-operative appointment two hours after the procedure is completed. The patient’s vision and pressure is checked, and if cleared, the patient is allowed to go home. The patient returns to our office the following day for their second post-operative appointment. The patient can expect to continue to have post-operative visits throughout the following year after the procedure is complete.