What Makes the Visian ICL Different?
Nearsightedness or myopia is a common eye problem. Up to forty percent of Americans have some degree of myopia.
There are different ways of dealing with nearsightedness. Glasses and contacts are the most common ways.
But these solutions have their shortcomings. Glasses and contacts require constant maintenance and are easy to damage and lose.
Surgery is a permanent way to repair your eyesight if you have myopia. LASIK is the most well-known refractive error procedure.
But there are other options you may want to consider. The Visian implantable collamer lens (ICL) is a viable alternative to LASIK.
It could be a better option for you, depending on your situation. Keep reading to learn more about the Visian ICL and find out if it is right for you!
What is the Visian ICL?
The Visian ICL is a special lens that gets placed inside your eye. It does not reshape your corneas like LASIK and other procedures.
Instead, it refracts light entering your eye after it passes your cornea. The Visian ICL is removable but not like traditional contact lenses.
It is more of a semi-permanent lens. It gets implanted in front of your natural lens where it can refract light onto your retina.
The procedure for implanting the Visian ICL takes between 20-30 minutes. To begin, your pupils get dilated, and your eyes get numbed with anesthetic drops.
Then your surgeon makes an incision at the base of your cornea. That way, they can insert the folded ICL through the opening.
The surgeon then makes careful adjustments to the lens to ensure it is in the proper position. You should notice your eyesight improve almost immediately!
After the procedure, you will still need a ride home, and your eye doctor will tell you when you can begin driving again. Your eye doctor will also prescribe you special eye drops to prevent infection as your eyes heal.
What are the Benefits of the Visian ICL?
The Visian ICL has several advantages over LASIK and other vision correction procedures. First, it only makes a small incision in your cornea.
LASIK or PRK creates a flap with or removes the outer layer of your cornea called the epithelium. Large incisions like this in your epithelium create a more extended recovery period.
Visian ICL implantation recovery is much shorter than these more intense procedures. There are only micro incisions made in your cornea to allow your surgeon to get the ICL in front of your lens.
The implantable lenses are also biocompatible because they contain collagen. Collagen in the lens means there is a meager chance that your body will reject them.
One of the most significant advantages of the Visian ICL is that it will not cause dry eye. During LASIK and other procedures, the nerves responsible for detecting dryness get severed. This can result in chronic dry eyes after the procedure.
The incision with the Visian ICL is so tiny that these nerves are undisturbed. The procedure is minimally invasive, which means recovery is shorter, and your eyes stay healthier.
The Visian ICL is an Excellent LASIK Alternative
The Visian ICL is an option for people who cannot get LASIK. LASIK and other vision correction procedures have a lot of requirements you have to meet. If you don’t meet these requirements for some reason, the Visian ICL could be a good alternative.
Also, the Visian ICL is removable. You can go back from the Visian ICL, unlike LASIK.
If you are not satisfied with your results, you can have the ICL removed. Or, if you need to undergo other vision procedures later in life, you can have the ICL taken out beforehand.
Are you ready to get rid of glasses or contacts forever? The Visian ICL could be what you’re looking for! Schedule a consultation with Kovach Eye Institute in Elmhurst, IL, today to learn more!
