What to Expect with Implantable Contact Lenses

We live in a life filled with visually pleasing elements and objects that you will hardly appreciate if you don't have the 20/20 vision to see. We rely on our eyesight 24/7 that our daily activities won’t be accomplished without it. Unfortunately, some people have vision difficulties that affect their quality of life.

But as the eye care industry continuously makes revolutionary innovations, we now have more options to deal with many vision challenges. One of the revolutionary ones includes Implantable Contact Lenses, and you will learn more about this type of eye surgery in this article below.

What Are Implantable Contact Lenses?

Implantable Contact Lens (ICL), also known as Implantable Collamer Lens, is a type of eye surgery that corrects vision challenges and is often an alternative for a different kind of eye surgery, such as laser refractive surgery (LASIK). These challenges include myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, and astigmatism.

It offers similar benefits to the standard external contact lenses, but the significant difference is that ICL is implanted directly on your eye. This means that you will no longer have to remove it before you go to sleep or before you do any activity that will harm your eyes if you don't remove it, such as swimming.

It is also important to note that ICL is implanted inside the eye, specifically in front of the natural eye lens and behind the iris. Once it gets implanted on your eye, you can hardly tell if it's inside your eye, and no one can even know if it's inside your eyes because it will completely be invisible.

Unfortunately, this procedure will not work for all. Suppose a patient has specific eye problems such as extreme nearsightedness, abnormal corneas, and keratoconus. In that case, the ICL surgery may not be recommended by an ophthalmologist since it will not benefit them.

Benefits of Implantable Contact Lenses

Going on an ICL surgery shouldn't necessarily cause you any worries and problems as it is an effective, quick, and generally safe type of eye surgery that will improve your vision for the better. In fact, it is so fast that it takes about 15 minutes to carry out this procedure, and because of that, it also means that it has minimal downtime. There are still more benefits of ICL, and we have listed these below:

Dry Eyes No More

Compared to the standard contact lens that causes dry eyes, the ICL will not cause dry eyes, and this is also because the implantation does not involve damaging your corneal nerves. And apart from saying goodbye to dry eyes, you can also say goodbye to eye drops because you may no longer need them as much as when you were still using standard contact lenses.

Beneficial to Patients Ineligible for LASIK

Just as there are patients who will not benefit from ICL, there are also those who are not suitable to get LASIK but can benefit from ICL. Suppose a patient seeking LASIK treatment does not have thin and uneven corneas, dry eyes, extremely high prescriptions, or large pupils. In that case, they may consider getting ICL if advised by their ophthalmologist.

Biocompatible

Your eyes will not reject or have an alarming response upon implanting the ICL. This is because it is made of a biomaterial—Collamer, a pure collagen—that is soft and flexible enough to adjust within the eyes.

Maintenance-Free

Maintaining the standard contact lens can get taxing. You need to do many things to ensure it is safe and clean for you to insert into your eyes, such as regular disinfection, lubrication, and proper storage. With ICL's design, which is meant to be kept in place in your eyes for a lifetime, you no longer have to go through such a process of maintaining it ever again.

See Clearly with Sussex Eye Laser Clinic

Everyone's eye needs are different, and that is why it is best to seek consultation from an ophthalmologist so you can have an in-depth discussion and reliable advice on how to correct your vision.

And for that, you can rely on Sussex Eye Laser Clinic today should you want to learn more about Implantable Contact Lens and other eye surgeries. Contact us on 01273 083780 or send an email at info@sussexeyelaserclinic.co.uk to learn more.