EYE CLINIC TOKYO

Merits and Demerits

■ICL can correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism: For LASIK surgery, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society Refractive Surgery Guidelines go up to the 10D level ^{Literature 8}. Because ICL surgery involves implantation of a wide range of prescriptions of the ICL, it corrects severe nearsightedness and farsightedness as well as astigmatism. The lens standard power of CL is + 6.0D to -18.0D for hyperopia to myopia and 0.5 to 6.0D for astigmatism, which is much wider than contact lenses and can be used by most people.

■As you can go home after the day of surgery, you can return to work and life as soon as possible: ICL surgery is a day surgery that does not require hospitalization. Vision is hazy and blurry on the day of surgery, but it becomes quite clear the day after surgery; therefore, people with clerical work such as desk work can return to work the day after surgery.

■Highly accurate correction and long-term stability of vision: ICL provides the same level of accuracy as a conventional soft contact lens. The patient will enjoy stable, quality vision for the long term, without the risk of visual regression.

■Reduce postoperative complications and unclear night vision problems: A smaller corneal incision (approximately 3 mm) reduces the risk of postoperative side effects such as dry eye. In addition, ICL causes less problems with night vision such as halos and glare caused by higher-order aberrations (distortion of corneal surface) associated with LASIK surgery ^{Literature 4-6}are further ameliorated by the new EVO+ Vision ICL model (with an enlarged optical zone).

■Lens is removable in the unlikely event of problems: In the absence of particular problems, the ICL implant is considered semi-permanent. However, should any problems arise following the surgery, the ICL can be removed and the patient’s vision restored to its condition prior to the surgery and the patient can continue to use glasses or contact lenses for vision correction.

■Cost of surgery is relatively high: Because the ICL is ordered to exactly fit your eye, its cost is higher than other corrective eye surgeries. Please note that ICL orders cannot be refunded.

■Long waiting period before surgery: Surgery will be performed as soon as the ordered lens arrives. Surgery can be performed 3 weeks after the test at the earliest, but depending on the lens’s power, you may need to wait for 2 - 3 months.

■Halo, glare, and circle of light: After the surgery, you may experience a mild halo or glare or circle of light. This should virtually disappear within a month after the surgery.

■In rare cases, additional treatment may be required after ICL surgery: If the power and size of the lens do not match after ICL surgery, it may be necessary to replace the lens, and for ICL with astigmatism, it may be necessary to readjust the axis of astigmatism of the lens after surgery (see FAQ for details).

■The importance of pre-surgical and post -surgical care: With ICL surgery, pre-surgical and post -surgical are is critical because of the fact that the prosthetic lens is placed in the eye. Though the instance of infection associated with an ICL procedure is extremely rare (approximately 1 in 6,000 cases), it is important to follow instructions on the use of eye drops and to note any other precautions indicated.