Implantable Contact Lenses Q&A
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Lasik Vs Implantable Contact Lenses
asked 1 year ago by anon
Latest answer by Jay Bansal, MD
Question viewed 368 times
Tags: eyes
I just heard about Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL) and how they are reversible. Is there anything that would make me a better candidate for ICL over LASIK? Do many ODs perform this procedure?
3 answers to Lasik Vs Implantable Contact Lenses
+2
LASIK vs Implantable Contact Lenses
Both LASIK and ICL surgery are great, but there are different indications for each. LASIK is performed on the surface of the eye and the ICL is surgically implanted inside the eye, so LASIK is inherently less invasive. There is minimal risk with either procedure, however. In my opinion, infection is the biggest risk with either of these procedures, though I have never seen an infection with either one(in over 70,000 cases), but it would make sense that an infection inside the eye(after...
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+1
Candidates for ICL over LASIK
ICL's are approved for correcting myopia (near-sightedness). High amounts of myopia and/or thin corneas are usually the primary reason for preferring ICLs over LASIK among refractive surgeons (MDs). While ICLs are technically reversible, it would require another surgical procedure to remove them and it would be hard to argue that the eye is in the exact same condition following two intraocular surgeries as it was prior to the surgeries. Perhaps the greatest concern for...
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Jay Bansal, MD
San Francisco Ophthalmologist
San Francisco Ophthalmologist
+1
ICL actually stands for Implantable Collamer Lens
ICL actually stands for Implantable Collamer Lens. Collamer refers to the material that is used to make this new type of intraocular lens. It is a made-up word that combines collagen and the plastic, polymer. The material is foldable, highly elastic, UV absorbing and has properties closest to the natural lens with no tissue removed during its insertion. The lens itself can be removed. This offers the unique advantage of this procedure being reversible! The...
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