Visian ICL™

The Latest in Corrective Eye Surgery

The Visian ICL™ is an advanced treatment option for patients who have moderate to higher levels of nearsightedness to reduce or eliminated the need for wearing glasses or contacts.  In many cases, LASIK or Epi-LASIK surgery is not an option with these higher prescriptions.  With a few simple eye tests we are able to measure your prescription to determine if the ICL may be a good option for you.

The Visian ICL™ is a small contact lens-like material that is inserted and positioned into the eye by Dr. Birchansky through two small incisions in the front of the eye.  The ICL fits behind the colored part of your eye and in front of your eye’s natural lens.  The incisions that are made in your eyes will heal on their own, without the need for any stitches.  You will not be able to feel the ICL inside your eye and it can only be seen during an eye examination by your eye doctor.

The surgery takes about 15 minutes and is performed in the hospital operating room.  You will be given an IV sedation to help you relax during the procedure and anesthetic eye drops so that you don’t feel anything during the surgery. 

One to two weeks before the ICL surgery, Dr. Birchansky will perform a YAG laser iridotomy on your eyes.   The YAG laser is used to make one or two small openings near the edge of your iris, the colored part of your eye.  The openings help to allow fluid in your eye to circulate around the ICL and help to keep the eye pressure at a normal level.

The benefits of the Visian ICL™ include:  excellent quality of vision, the ability to correct for a higher amount of nearsightedness, the surface of the eye is not changed with this procedure and the ICL may be removed if necessary.  The surgical technique is very similar to cataract surgery, which Dr. Birchansky has performed over 18,000 No-Stitch cataract surgeries since 1991.

Following surgery, improved vision may be noticed even the same day.  After surgery most people return to normal activities the next day and have only mild post-operative discomfort.  Also, plan to have someone to drive you home from surgery and to your follow-up visit the same day.  You will be given eye drops to use to help prevent eye infection and inflammation.   

Visian ICL FAQ

What Is the Visian ICL?

The Visian ICL is a phakic intraocular lens (IOL) used during refractive surgery for correcting myopia (nearsightedness). Unlike IOLs, which are used during cataract surgery, the Visian ICL does not replace the eye's natural lens. Instead, the ICL is placed between the iris and the natural lens to allow the ICL lens to work with your natural optical system and allow light to better focus on the retina.  Because the phakic IOL does not replace the lens, but supplements it like a prescription contact lens on the surface of the eye, it is sometimes referred to as an implantable contact lens.
The Visian ICL offers another option for treating myopia. Now, patients who are seeking the latest approved procedures for vision correction, or who want to avoid the permanence of laser vision correction, have another choice for correcting their nearsightedness.

What Makes the Visian ICL Different?

Although the Visian ICL is often informally named an "implantable contact lens," in the United States, the acronym ICL in the Visian ICL stands for "Implantable Collamer Lens."  Collamer is the unique material that the lens is made of.

Quality of Vision

The Visian ICL offers unparalleled quality of vision, providing excellent contrast. Two unique factors help explain this superior optical performance. First, the Visian ICL is made of Collamer – a soft, flexible lens material that contains a small amount of collagen – making the lens extremely biocompatible for a lifetime of clear vision. Second, the lens is placed inside the eye, where it continues to focus light accurately without any maintenance required.

Safe, Proven Procedure

The safety and effectiveness of the Visian ICL implantation procedure has been proven with over 75,000 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.

Small Incision

Unlike other phakic IOLs, the Visian ICL is foldable. This feature allows physicians to implant the lens using a smaller incision. The small incision procedure is a technique that is familiar to eye surgeons. The Visian ICL requires a 2.8mm to 3.0mm incision as opposed to the 6.0mm incision required by other FDA-approved phakic IOLs. This smaller incision is seen as less invasive, does not require sutures, and is astigmatically neutral.

Removable, if Necessary

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.

UV Protection

The Visian ICL features UV eye protection, assisting in the prevention of the development of various eye disorders.  UV radiation may contribute to the development of macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans; and cataracts, a major cause of visual impairment and blindness around the world.

A shorter alternative:

What are the advantages of the Visian ICL?

There are many unique advantages to the Visian ICL, including:

1. Performance – provides excellent quality of vision with predictable and stable results.
2. Simplicity – Inserted through a micro-incision utilizing a procedure that is familiar to the surgeon. The lens is invisible to both you and observers. It requires no maintenance.
3. Versatility – Capable of correcting a wide range of nearsightedness, and is removable if necessary.
4. Biocompatibility – Collamer, an exceptional lens material offering unparalleled biocompatibility.
5. Safety – Safe, proven procedure that is familiar to ophthalmologists.