Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL)

Are your eyes unsuitable for LASIK? You could still enjoy clear vision without glasses, with Implantable Contact Lenses from Eye Institute.

Implantable Contact Lenses (ICLs) are the ideal solution if you struggle to wear external contact lenses, but you’re unsuitable for laser eye surgery because of:

• Severe myopia (short sightedness) i.e. over -8.0 diopters and up to -20.0 diopters
• Severe hyperopia (long sightedness) i.e. over +4.0 diopters and up to +18.0 diopters
• Thin corneas

Implantable Contact Lenses work in much the same way as external contact lenses, but are placed inside your eye during an operation, giving you permanently clearer vision. The operation is also completely reversible.

ICLs have been in use since 1993, and more than 55,000 procedures have been carried out worldwide, so the technology is highly developed and very safe. Eye Institute surgeon Dr Trevor Gray is the most experienced ICL surgeon in Australasia, having successfully restored vision to over 600 patients using Implantable Contact Lenses.

How do Implantable Contact Lenses work?

Implantable Contact Lenses are made from a special ‘biocompatible’ material that works with your body’s natural chemistry. Each thin, foldable lens is uniquely tailored to your eye, and custom made for you in Switzerland.

Your custom made Implantable Contact Lenses are inserted behind your iris (the coloured part of your eye) and in front of your eye’s natural lens during a short, virtually painless procedure. They alter the focusing point of your eye to give you clearer vision, in the same way that wearing glasses or contact lenses does.

Unlike many older designs of ICL, you’ll find your ICLs from Eye Institute are completely invisible to anyone looking at your eyes. It’s also safe to continue playing contact sports after your ICL surgery.

What’s involved in an ICL procedure?

The ICL procedure is virtually painless, and takes around the same time as a typical LASIK operation to correct each eye. You’ll be given a local anaesthetic to numb your eye, so you won’t feel any pain, and a mild sedative to help with any nerves you may have.

Then, using advanced no-stitch surgical techniques, Dr Gray will insert the ICL through a tiny self-sealing slit in your cornea (the surface of the eye).

The procedure will take no more than about 15 minutes, after which you’ll be free to go home within 2 hours, returning for a post operative examination the following morning, and you should be able to return to normal activities within days.

You’ll need to have some follow-up checks after your ICL operation, and you’ll continue to have check-ups every year while your Implantable Contact Lenses are fitted. Don’t worry if you live outside Auckland though – your check-ups can be arranged with your local optometrist near where you live.

Make an appointment today

For more information or to discuss Implantable Contact Lenses, make an appointment with our ICL specialist Dr Trevor Gray today. Simply fill out an enquiry form or call 0800 39 35 27.