Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL's)
January 2003Developed by STAAR Surgical, Switzerland, the ICL offers an alternative to laser surgery or optical aids, for people with moderate to severe myopia and hyperopia. Unlike excimer laser surgery, the eye is not surgically altered but instead a contact lens is implanted into the eye via a clear corneal incision of approximately 3 mm and placed between the eye's natural crystalline lens and the iris. A permanent implant, the ICL offers a similar correction to normal external contact lenses. The procedure is also reversible.
After a successful completion of the STAAR ICL trial in late 2001, Adelaide Eye & Laser Centre are currently awaiting for the approval of ICL technology, through the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) (formal approval is anticipated in 2003), before considering ICL's on a more permanent basis. ICL's are generally considered when LASIK or PRK are not deemed suitable.
