Eye Conditions

Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)

Our Specialists

Dr Robert Bourke

Dr Lewis Lam

Dr Darryl Gregor

Request an Appointment

What is an ICL?

The Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) offers an effective and accurate option for vision correction for those who want to be as independent from their spectacles and contact lenses as possible. It corrects a range of refractive errors such as short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. It is a soft, flexible lens that is surgically positioned in the eye between the iris and natural lens, allowing it to focus light rays properly onto the retina for clear vision. It doesn’t correct for presbyopic refractive error.

Presbyopia is the eyes’ inability to focus on close-up distances, from the age from 45, due to the stiffening of the eye’s natural crystalline lens as we age. Therefore, a set of glasses or contact lenses at that stage will be required to aid near vision.

The ICL is another form of surgical vision correction, others being LASIK, PRK, SMILE or refractive lens exchange. The ICL is described as ‘additive vision correction’. Unlike procedures such as LASIK, PRK, SMILE or refractive lens exchange, the ICL procedure does not remove any tissue from your eye and is reversible.

What is an ICL?

Refractive Surgical Procedure Comparison

To understand the advantages and disadvantages between all the refractive surgical procedures, please refer to the table below.

	ICL	LASIK / PRK / SMILE	Refractive lens exchange
Clarity	++	++	+
Beyond age 45, presbyopia	Reading glasses	Reading glasses	No reading glasses* – best for longevity
Post procedure dry eyes	Minimal	++	Minimal
Reversibility	Yes	No	Removal of lens is possible in the first few months, but not advisable
Causes refractive surprise at the time of cataract surgery **	No	Yes	Not applicable, as no cataract will grow
Need for cataract surgery later in life	Yes	Yes	No
Range of vision correction	Myopia: up to -18.0D Hyperopia: up to +10.0D Astigmatism: up to +6.00D	Myopia: up to -10.0 (very reliable to -6.0) Hyperopia: up to +4.00D Astigmatism: up to +5.00D	Even more extensive due to customisable intraocular implants
Haloes at night	No	Unlikely	Yes

* With optimal eye health. In some with suboptimal eye health, a weak pair of reading glasses may still be required.
**Refractive surprise is a non-ideal unexpected outcome post cataract surgery even with extra care taken when doing all required measurements

Why an ICL over LASIK or laser eye surgery?

Laser eye procedures are designed to reshape the corneal tissue by removing part of the cornea. As a consequence, dry eye syndrome is not uncommon after laser eye surgeries. As ICL implantation does not involve any reshaping of the corneal tissue, they rarely induce dry eyes, if at all. Therefore, if a patient loves the freedom that contact lenses allows them, but is struggling with applying and removing contact lenses, or is experiencing increased discomfort due to dryness – then this is a good substitute.

Laser eye surgery is permanent and can cause haloes or starriness around lights known as ‘aberrations’. ICLs do not induce any aberrations and therefore provide excellent vision at night or in low light conditions. As ICLs are removable, they can be replaced in the event of a major prescription change.

Laser eye surgery can reduce the accuracy during cataract surgery, a common eye procedure that almost everyone requires as they age. A cataract is a clouded lens that forms in the eye as a normal part of aging. As the ICL is removeable, precision for cataract surgery in the future is unaffected. With laser refractive procedures, despite best efforts to calculate the best possible lens for the eye, ‘refractive surprises’ can occur – This means that the intended refractive end point so not achieved. With a deviation of the power of the eye from the intended outcome, patients will still need glasses or contact lenses to sharpen up their vision.

Why Choose Eye Specialist Institute?

Our team of Ophthalmologists have extensive experience in successful intraocular lens surgeries, both refractive lens exchange and cataract operations.

Providing an additional layer of security when choosing who to trust with your vision, we also have two vitreoretinal surgeons, Dr Robert Bourke and Dr Lewis Lam, who are additionally trained to operate in the posterior chamber of the eye (vitreous/retina).

Dr Bourke and Dr Lam’s specialty training means they are highly skilled to definitively address surgery complications such as a dislocated lenses, secondary intraocular lenses, capsular tears, and loose lens fragments which can fall into the back of the eye. These complications are rare but can occur and our team is fully equipped to deal with them.

ICL

View Video

ICL Post Operation

View Video

ICL – Options other than LASIK!

View Video