IMPLANTABLE CONTACT LENS AN OPTION FOR VISION CORRECTION

A report from New Zealand Implantable contact lens (ICL) results. Study published in July of 2010 in Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.

A large study on the implantable contact lens (ICL)results at 1 year showed 99% of patients in the study (76/77) had postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) better than or equal to preoperative values, whereas 78% (60/77) gained up to one line BCVA and 1% (1/77) lost one line BCVA. Nearsightedness (myopia) ranged from -2.50 to -15.00 Diopters and astigmatism ranged from 1.00 to 7.00 Diopters of correction. Indications for ICL were: myopia too high for LASIK (73%), cornea too thin for LASIK (44%) and contact lens intolerance (33%). Night halos were reported in 10% (8/77) of eyes at 12 months. One ICL was removed due to unrecognized preoperative glaucoma.

This study is the largest reported series of toric ICL implantation in New Zealand. It supports the safety, efficacy and predictability of toric ICLs to treat myopia and astigmatism.