Although refractive procedures such as LASIK and Advanced Surface Ablation have become very popular, they may not be most optimal or even advisable for everyone. Patients with thin corneas, severe dry eyes or very high prescriptions may not be good candidates for traditional refractive surgery. In the past, being told that you were not a candidate for LASIK left many with no other safe option to surgically correct your vision. Today however, with modern advancements such as the Visian ICL and the Verisyse, independence from glasses may be enjoyed by most everyone.
About the Visian ICL
The Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) , commonly known as the implantable contact lens, is the first lens of this type to be FDA approved in the United States. Instead of reshaping the cornea as in traditional refractive surgery, vision is corrected by gently inserting the Visian ICL directly inside the eye. It can be used for a wide range of vision correction, up to extremely high levels of nearsightedness. Unlike traditional contact lenses, the ICL does not need to be maintained or removed. It cannot be felt and causes no symptoms of irritation.
Similar to LASIK surgery, the ICL procedure usually takes less than 10 minutes is virtually painless, and the improvement in vision can be seen immediately. So if you have been told that you are not a good candidate for LASIK, or are interested in a safe alternative to laser vision correction, please call us to schedule a complimentary screening evaluation.
If you have higher levels of astigmatism, please ask us about the soon to be FDA approved Visian Toric ICL. Dr. Sorensen is the first and only surgeon in the area with experience implanting this state-of-the-art technology.
About the Verisyse Phakic IOL
The VerisyseTM Phakic IOL is used to treat moderate to severe myopia, the medical term for nearsightedness. The Verisyse design is also effective for very nearsighted people who are tired of thick glasses and are not candidates for LASIK.
Are you a candidate for implantable lens surgery?
A series of simple tests performed in our office will help you decide if the Visian or Verisyse procedure is right for you. In general, the requirements for phakic lens implant surgery are:
- Your eyes are healthy with no significant disease.
- Your nearsightedness can be corrected with lenses between -3.00 to -20.0 diopters.
- You do not have extremely high levels of astigmatism.
- Your eyes are stable.
- You are not currently pregnant or nursing.
The safety and effectiveness of the Visian ICL implantation procedure has been proven with over 85,000 implants worldwide as well as recent U.S. FDA approval. Unlike corneal refractive surgery, the Visian ICL does not permanently alter the structure of the eye. Instead, the phakic IOL is placed in the eye's posterior chamber, where it works with the natural lens to correct vision.
Although the Visian ICL is meant to stay in the eye indefinitely, it is easily removed by a trained ophthalmic surgeon, leaving the patient’s future options open.
