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 Phakic Intraocular Lens |
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The lens is made of
a foldable bio compatible collamer material. |
The lens is inserted in the eye thought a
3-3.5 mm corneal incision
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The lens is placed behind the iris in front of the natural lens
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Light will now focus on the retina, so you can see clearly
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What if you find you are not a candidate for LASIK or PRK? Do you feel like your prescription is too high? What if you still want to be glasses-free and see the world clearly? Are there any other options? The answer is YES! You may be a candidate for phakic intraocular lenses, another type of refractive surgery.
What are Phakic Intraocular Lenses (Phakic IOL)?
Phakic intraocular lenses (Phakic IOLs) are a special type of lens designed to correct vision in the same way as contact lenses except they are placed permanently inside the eye. The term phakic means that the natural lens in the eye is not removed. Some people get the term phakic confused with aphakic or pseudophakic. Those terms are used in cataract surgery where the natural lens is removed (aphakic) and replaced with a new lens (pseudophakic).
(Historically when cataracts were removed, the patient was left aphakic and had to wear very thick glasses.
Nowadays, almost all patients are left pseudophakic: the cataract is removed and replaced with an implant.) IOL stands for IntraOcular Lens which is a small lens implant. Therefore, the term Phakic IOL means an artificial lens which is implanted inside the eye, leaving the eye's natural lens in place. Phakic IOLs are often used to correct vision in patients unsuitable for LASIK (thin corneas, high refractive errors, etc).
There are many different types of phakic intraocular lens such as the implantable collamer lens (ICL), anterior chamber phakic IOLs, and the phakic refractive lens (PRL). Here at TRSC, our team of surgeons has found through experience, research, and communication with other renowned international doctors that ICL brings the highest chance for success, and we have chosen to use this method and lens exclusively.
Phakic Intraocular Lenses
STAAR Surgical is a leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of minimal invasive ophthalmic products employing proprietary technologies. Visian ICL is one of the innovative products of STAAR Surgical used by ophthalmic surgeons. Recently, Visian ICL received US FDA approval. It received CE Marketing and was approved for sale in 41 countries. Visian ICL has been implanted in more than 60,000 eyes worldwide.
Visian ICL is intended to correct extreme myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism in patients who are not candidates for LASIK for a variety of reasons including thin corneas, very high corrections, excessive dry eyes, and irregular corneas.
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Collamer is a revolutionary material used exclusively in making VISIAN ICL. Its name comes from the combination of "Collagen" and "Polymer". Because it is made with collagen, Collamer is compatible with your body's natural chemisty, and contributes to the High Definition Visian found only in the Visian ICL. |
Who are candidates?
 Phakic IOLs are indicated for patients not suited for LASIK. The surgeon will consider in the following cases:
| - High amount of nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia) |
| - High amount of astigmatism |
| - Severe dry eyes |
| - Patients 21-45 years of age with an anterior chamber depth of 3.00 mm or greater |
| - Thin cornea |
| - No cataracts |
| - Adequate understanding of the benefits and limitations of Phakic IOL |
| - Prescription stable (within 0.50 Diopters) for at least 1 year |
What are the advantages?
| - Wide range of treatment |
| - Minimal side effects |
| - Made of biocompatible material which is gentle to the eye |
| - Small and foldable for easy insertion |
| - Small incision which eliminates need for any sutures |
| - Does not alter the tissue of the cornea |
| - Can be combined with other corrective options |
| - Reversible (lens can be removed or replaced if needed) |
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The Eyes and Refractive Errors 
