Phakic IOL: An Alternative Treatment for People with High Levels of Refractive Disorder

What is Phakic IOL?

Phakic IOL is a kind of surgery to correct a refractive error (hereditary nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) permanently.  This is an alternative for people who have high levels of refractive disorder which cannot be corrected by LASIK treatment.

Phakic IOL Surgery

The ophthalmologist will make a small incision of about 3 mm in the cornea to insert the artificial lens (foldable) in front of the natural (crystalline) lens.  The small incision wound will heal itself, so there’s no need for any stitch.  The implanted lens will gradually unfold into place behind the iris and in front of the natural lens which is not visible to the naked eye. 

The Phakic IOL Surgery is a low-risk procedure.  The patient will receive local anesthesia to reduce discomfort during surgery.  The surgery will take approximately 30 minutes after which the patient can go home to rest.

Benefits of Phakic IOL

Phakic IOL or Phakic Intraocular Lens is a special implantable lens that are designed to correct refractive errors (hereditary nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism), similarly to a contact lens.  The difference between the Phakic IOL and contact lens is that Phakic IOL is implanted permanently without removing the natural (crystalline) lens.  At Bangkok Hospital, we choose Implantable Collamer Lens from STAAR Surgical Company whose production technology is accepted and tested globally.   This product is Visian ICL which is recognized and trusted by ophthalmologists around the world.

Visian ICL is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and has received CE Mark from the European Union also.  The recognitions have made it possible for Visian ICL to be available in 41 countries worldwide.   The benefits of ICL are more accurate vision correction and can be used in a patient with too much limitations for LASIK (severe refractive error, thin cornea, excessive dry eyes, etc.)