Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) Surgery

You must be 18 or older to be considered for ICL surgery. To determine if you are a good candidate, you will undergo a complete evaluation of your eyes. You should not wear contact lenses the week before your evaluation. A technician will perform a basic eye exam, imaging, and diagnostic testing and will take measurements of your eyes. Then your eyes will be dilated, and an ophthalmologist will examine them to determine whether ICL surgery is an option for you. 

Because ICL surgery is an elective procedure, it is not covered by most insurance plans. Our evaluation exams are free, and the cost includes the surgery, any additional corrections and procedures required for optimal vision, and appointments following surgery. We follow you closely, especially the year after surgery, to ensure the results meet your expectations. 

We will answer your questions and explain how to prepare, what surgery entails, and the recovery process. If you wear contact lenses, you will be asked to wear glasses instead for several weeks before surgery. You will also have a special ultrasound performed before surgery and will need to identify an adult to drive you home after your outpatient procedure. 

Your eyes will be examined before surgery to confirm your eye health and your exact vision correction requirements. You will be given drops to numb your eyes, and you will receive medications through a vein to help you relax. In the operating room, your surgeon will insert an ICL through a small incision in each eye. Although you can expect to spend two to three hours at the Eye Center, the surgery itself takes about 30 minutes. 

After ICL surgery, you will remain in a recovery room so we can check your eyes. You will go home wearing sunglasses or protective eye shields but will need someone to drive you. You may have some eye discomfort or mild pain the day following surgery, but you can take a prescription or an over-the-counter pain reliever. After two weeks, you should be fully healed.

Recovery is generally quick, and you should notice improved vision within a day. You can return to your normal activities almost immediately but will need to use special eye drops for a month following your procedure. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled for the next day and again one week later. To ensure that you achieve the best results possible, your eye doctor may recommend an additional procedure to fine-tune your vision.

You can expect the results of ICL surgery to last until there is a medical change in your vision. For example, presbyopia -- the loss of reading vision -- and cataracts can occur as part of the natural aging process, even if you have had ICL surgery. ICLs are intended to remain in place permanently, but they can be exchanged or removed if you need cataract surgery or other procedure in the future.

Our eye surgeons are board-certified ophthalmologists and fellowship-trained. This means that they have completed several years of advanced training in cornea and refractive surgery. Collectively, our surgeons have performed more than 28,000 refractive procedures since Duke began offering them nearly 30 years ago. Our vast experience and regular use of the most advanced technology ensure you achieve better vision and minimal recovery time.

Our doctors work with you from your first evaluation through all your follow-up visits. Or if you prefer, we can coordinate follow-up care with your local eye doctor.