Intraocular Contact Lenses(ICL)

The STAAR ICL™ is an intraocular lens implant designed for the correction of moderate to high myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness). The ICL™ is still in clinical trials for approval from the FDA.

The ICL™ is designed to be permanently placed within the eye. It rests behind the iris, which is the colored portion of the eye, and in front of the natural crystalline lense, whose purpose it is to help focus light on the retina.

The ICL™ was first developed in the late 1980’s in Russia by Dr. S. Fyodorov (the "inventor" of radial keratotomy). The first ICL’s made by STAAR were implanted in human eyes in Europe in 1993. So far the clinical trials have been very positive. The ICL™ also has the advantage of being completely reversible.

Clinical evaluation of the ICL™ in the U.S. began in 1997 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first implants under an Investigational Device Exemption. The study will proceed through three phases which allows the FDA to monitor the data and progress of the study.

The surgery itself takes between fifteen and thirty minutes. One week prior to the surgery the patient is required to come in to the office, where 2 small holes will be made in the iris with a laser. This is a preventional measure done to insure that the ICL™ does not interfere with the flow of fluid through your pupil. The day of the surgery, the patient is given a topical anesthetic. That means you will be awake during the surgery but will not feel any pain, as is the case in almost all refractive surgeries. A small cut, about three mm wide, is made through which the lenses are inserted. Your vision will be distorted until the anesthetic wears off, but after that you will notice an immediate improvement in vision. You should be able to leave the office within a few minutes. Check our news link for recent developements.

Patients can visit www.staar.com or call 1-626-303-7902 for more information on ICL™.