ICLs Surpass 200,000 World Wide Implants

STAAR Surgical has announced that more than 200,000 of its implantable contact lenses (Visian Implantable Collamer Lens) have been implanted in patients worldwide.

Since 1994, these lenses have been used in refractive surgery as an alternative to LASIK.  I have been using the ICL for the past 4 years, since their introduction to the US, to effectively treat my myopic patients who either have a degree of myopia too high to be treated with LASIK, or who would not do well with corneal refractive surgery. 

Since it was introduced in 2006, the Visian ICL has been improving the vision of the bravest people in our nation under the harshest of conditions imaginable. In fact, to date surgeons in the US military have implanted over 3,000 ICLs with results that are nothing less of heroic. In a retrospective analysis of outcomes in 139 consecutive eyes of US military personnel implanted with the Visian ICL:

• 100% of patients believe the Visian ICL enables them to function and perform better
• More than 80% patients achieve UVCA on 20/15 or better
• 86% achieve UCVA the same or better than per-op BCVA

The bottom line? If the Visian ICL can meet the needs of US soldiers on the battlefield, one can be confident it will deliver excellent vision for demanding younger patients with active, fast-paced lifestyles – every day.