Why a phakic lens is being recommended for you

For some people, vision correction procedures like LASIK may not be advisable, perhaps due to extremely high prescriptions, thin corneas or dry eyes. In the past, being told that you were not a candidate for LASIK simply meant that there were no other options to surgically correct your vision. But now, phakic lens implants such as the Visian ICL^TM and the Verisyse^TM IOL can be used to permanently correct your vision, even if you’ve been turned down for LASIK or other procedures in the past. The word “phakic” means that your natural crystalline lens is left in the eye. This is important because your natural lens plays a critical role in helping your eye adjust between seeing objects that are near and far. Both the Visian and Verisyse are considered phakic lenses, and although very similar, each has unique properties and attributes. Dr. Pascucci will recommend the correct lens for you, once a thorough examination of your eyes has been completed.

About the Visian ICL

The Visian ICL^TM lens (L) and shown implanted (R).

The Visian ICL (implantable contact lens) is the first lens of its kind to be approved by the FDA for use in the United States. It is based on many years of research and development in adapting the proven technology of the IOL (intraocular lens) used for cataract surgery. The IOL cataract procedure is familiar to ophthalmologists and is performed safely on millions of patients each year. While the technology is similar, the Visian ICL procedure differs from cataract surgery as the natural lens is not removed from the eye. Instead, the Visian ICL is placed in front of the natural lens and the two work together to correct your vision.

How does Visian compare with LASIK?

During clinical trials, researchers compared the outcomes of Visian patients to those of LASIK patients with similar prescriptions.¹ The patients involved in the study were very nearsighted (8-12 diopters of nearsightedness prior to surgery), and their visual outcomes were measured at regular intervals post-operatively. The results showed that Visian provided superior post-operative visual acuities when compared with the LASIK population. For Visian patients, 52% of patients demonstrated post-operative uncorrected visual acuities of 20/20 or better, while only 36% of LASIK patients were able to achieve 20/20 vision or better following surgery. Additionally, patients who received the Visian lens also reported a better quality of vision than those who had undergone LASIK, and the Visian ICL has been shown to induce significantly fewer higher order aberrations than LASIK. In fact, symptoms such as glare, halos, double vision, night vision difficulty and night driving difficulty were largely absent or mild after 3 years postoperatively.²

1 Sander DA, Vukich JA. J Cornea Ext Dis. 2003;22:324-331
2 Sarver EJ, et al. J Refract Surg. 2003;19(4):397-404

About the Verisyse ICL

The Verisyse^TM Phakic IOL is used to treat moderate to severe myopia, the medical term for nearsightedness. With over 18 years of use and 150,000 procedures performed worldwide, results prove that the Verisyse design is safe and effective for very nearsighted people who are tired of thick glasses and are not candidates for Custom LASIK.

Diagram of an eye with the Verisyse^TM Phakic IOL.

How does Verisyse compare with LASIK?

Verisyse clinical investigators conducted a randomized comparison of Verisyse with LASIK in myopic patients correcting between -9D and -19.5D of nearsightedness.³ Sixty-one patients (90 eyes) were studied with a mean refraction of -13.5D. Thirty percent of patients received the Verisyse in one eye and LASIK in the other eye. Results provided in the table at right demonstrate that both patient groups ended with similar refractions post-operatively, varying from Plano to -1D, a significant improvement from the -13.5D pre-operatively. However, the extreme flattening of the cornea that occurs with LASIK in this highly-nearsighted population has caused surgeon concern about vision quality post-LASIK. As demonstrated in the chart, patients with extreme nearsightedness did better with Verisyse in their visual acuity, lines of vision gained, and minimal loss of contrast sensitivity.

How effective is the Verisyse lens?

Patients who choose the Verisyse lens usually have been frustrated with glasses and contacts for a very long time. Their degree of nearsightedness is such that it was often difficult for them to be fitted with glasses or contacts. FDA trial data indicates the vision improvement with Verisyse is substantial. This chart shows the vision Verisyse patients have in their first implanted eye at 3 years post-op without the use of any glasses or contacts.