The implantable contact lens (ICL) surgery is a popular type of refractive surgery that is performed on those who wish to reduce or eliminate the use of glasses and contact lenses. It usually is recommended when one has extreme dry eye, irregularly shaped corneas, thin corneas or a high level of refractive errors (eg myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism).
The procedure is a 20-minute day surgery that does not require overnight hospitalisation. The ICL is implanted into the eye – between the natural lens and the iris. Once implanted, the ICL will unfold gently in the eye. It is biocompatible with the eye and remains stable.
Vision recovery is quick – most can regain about 75% of their vision the next day and resume most daily activities.
Factors that may affect visual outcome
To ensure a surgical outcome that is optimised and lasting, ICL surgery is generally performed on:
Healthy eyes
If there are pre-existing eye diseases like cataracts, which is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens as one ages, one will not be able to see optimally post-ICL surgery as light is unable to fully pass a cataractous lens to hit on the retina to provide clear vision.
Eyes where the vision is stable
The eye prescription needs to remain broadly the same in the past 12 months. Otherwise, it is akin to shooting a moving target.
Those 18 years of age and above
The eyes of those below 18 years of age are believed to be still growing, changing and immature.
Those who have enough space (anterior chamber depth) in the eye to safely insert an ICL
The ICL is inserted into the eye between the natural lens and the iris. If the ICL has to be squeezed into the eye where there is insufficient space, the ICL may come into frequent and near contact with the natural lens, resulting in the formation of early cataracts.
Females who are not pregnant
There are hormonal changes in a woman’s body during pregnancy. Such changes may affect the vision and could give the eye an inaccurate refractive error reading. Hence, ICL surgery can be considered after giving birth.
Those who are in good general health
Post-operative complications
While there are many benefits associated with ICL surgery, it is not a procedure without risks and complications. The most common consideration is the possibility of early cataract formation, which has a low incidence rate of 0.5% to 1.5%. Should this occur, most people will opt to continue leaving the ICL in the eye and wait for the cataract to progress till such time when the vision has been impacted and affects the performance of daily activities. When such time comes, most will consider cataract surgery, during which both the ICL and the cataract will be removed and an intraocular lens (IOL) will replace the cataractous lens to regain good vision. There is now a myriad of IOLs to choose from for cataract surgery including monofocal and multifocal IOLs. A type of multifocal IOL is the trifocal IOL which has 3 focal points – near, intermediate and far. This IOL allows one to see well without glasses at 3 distances for most activities.
We provide ICL evaluation in Singapore
If you have previously been rejected for LASIK and ICL surgery and would like to seek an opinion on your suitability for ICL surgery with our ICL surgeon, please contact us at +65 6684 1000 or [email protected].
