Visian ICL

If you have been told that you are not a candidate for lasik, you could be a candidate for Visian!

Dr. Christenbury is First in the Carolinas to offer New Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) for Moderate to Severe Nearsightedness.

The Visian ICL™ is the latest new vision care technology for people who are moderately to severely nearsighted. The Visian, by Staar Surgical, received FDA approved in December 2005. As a pioneer in high-tech vision procedures, Dr. Christenbury is once again the first eye surgeon in the Carolinas to offer this new innovative advance for his patients.

Like the Verisyse IOL, the Visian is a Phakic IOL, which means that it is implanted inside the eye during a minimally invasive procedure at the Christenbury Eye Center. But unlike cataract surgery, where the natural lens of the eye is removed (because it has become damaged and cloudy), during a Phakic IOL procedure, the natural lens remains in place.

Both the Visian and Verisyse lenses function as a type of permanent contact lens, but because they are implanted inside the eye, they are, of course, maintenance-free. They never dry out, become dirty, get lost or need to be inserted in the eye each morning. They can remain inside the eye indefinitely, giving people the potential for permanent freedom from corrective eyewear.

How effective is the Visian ICL for improving vision? A U.S. FDA clinical trial of 294 patients showed excellent results three years after implantation with the Visian ICL:

99% of patients achieved 20/40 eyesight or better without glasses or contact lenses, allowing them to drive a car without the need for corrective eyewear.
84% of patients had 20/20 or better.
92% reported they were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with the improvement to their eyesight.

Just as important, the Visian has a good track record for safety. The lens has been successfully inserted in more than 300,000 eyes worldwide. It is now available in the U.S. and Europe through selected eye surgeons.

A good candidate for the Visian ICL is an individual who has moderate to severe nearsightedness (also called myopia) and would like the freedom that comes from no longer needing to wear glasses or contact lenses. These patients typically are not candidates for WaveFront Custom iLASIK due to the amount of nearsightedness or to the thinness of their corneas.

The Visian ICL is also a good alternative for patients who might be approved for iLASIK, but they would prefer to undergo a reversible procedure. The Visian lens can be removed or replaced at any time if it becomes necessary for any reason in the future. In addition, implanting the Visian ICL does not permanently change the shape or structures of the eye like iLASIK requires.

During the procedure, the Visian is placed inside the eye in front of the natural lens and behind the iris, the colored part of the eye. This placement ensures that the lens remains virtually undetectable by the patient or an observer. It can only be seen by an ophthalmologist during an eye exam. The lens does not move once it is in place and it cannot be felt by the patient.

The Visian is made of a proprietary Staar Surgical material that is composed of pure collagen and a hydrophilic copolymer with a UV absorbent chromophore. These materials are biocompatible with the body, which means they are gentle on the eyes, very stable and do not cause any reaction inside the eye. The Visian also offers an innovative foldable design, which allows Dr. Christenbury to insert it into the eye through an extremely small incision about 3 mm. in diameter. The lens will unfold naturally into place once it is inside the eye. In addition the small size of the incision eliminates the need for stitches once the procedure is completed. The incision is self-sealing.

The Visian ICL is designed for the following conditions:

the correction of myopia ranging from -3 to -20 diopters with less than or equal to 2.5D of astigmatism at the spectacle plane,
adults 21-45 years of age with an anterior chamber depth of 3.00 mm or greater and stable refraction.

The Visian offers the following advantages:

Small Incision / Foldability – 3 mm incision
Posterior Chamber Implant – invisible in the rye
Made of collamer – a proprietary biocompatible material
Experience – more than 300,000 Implants
Wide Treatment Range

A Guide to the STAAR Visian ICL Procedure:

Implanting the Visian is actually a two-part process. Step one requires the use of a YAG Laser to make two small openings in the outside of the iris at 90 degrees apart. The openings guard against possible elevation of intraocular pressure immediately following the implantation of the new lens.

Step two is the insertion of the new collamer lens. The Visian ICL has a foldable design that makes it easy to insert the lens through a small (3 mm) incision in the cornea, the outer surface of the eye. The incision is self-sealing so no stitches are required.

As the lens is advanced from the cartridge into the eye, it slowly unfolds and is moved into place in front of the iris (the colored part of the eye).

Patients receive topical or local anesthesia to minimize any discomfort during the procedure. The procedure is done in the office on an outpatient basis. Please be sure to have someone drive you to the office and home after the procedure is completed. Eye drops or oral medication may be prescribed and a follow-up visit is required 2 to 4 hours after the procedure (the same day), as well as a 1 day visit.

Learn more about the STAAR Visian ICL at www.visianinfo.com!