ICL vs LASIK for high myopia: which is right for you?

For high short-sight, ICL is often preferred, because it adds a lens inside the eye rather than removing corneal tissue. LASIK corrects by reshaping the cornea, and there's a limit to how much tissue can be safely removed before the cornea is left too thin. Beyond a certain power, ICL is frequently the option considered. The only way to know for your eyes is to measure them.

Loosely, short-sight beyond about -6.00 dioptres is often called high myopia, and beyond roughly -8.00 to -10.00 it becomes very high. There's no single hard cut-off where LASIK stops and ICL starts, because it also depends on your corneal thickness and shape. A thin cornea can rule laser out at a lower power; a thick, healthy one may allow it a little higher. The scan decides, not the label.

LASIK works by removing a small amount of corneal tissue to flatten the curve. The higher your power, the more tissue must be removed, and every cornea has a safe limit below which it shouldn't be thinned. Pushing laser beyond that risks weakening the cornea (ectasia). For high powers, ICL avoids this because it does not thin the cornea. ICL has its own risks, which are explained at your assessment.

In suitable eyes it is a well-established option, and the lens can be removed. Like any surgery it carries risks, which are explained before you decide. The ICL is a soft, biocompatible lens placed inside the eye in front of your natural lens. Because it removes no corneal tissue, it is often considered for high powers and to thin or borderline corneas. As with any procedure, suitability depends on the space inside your eye and a full assessment, which is done before it is recommended.

Yes. Unlike laser, which permanently reshapes the cornea, the ICL can be removed or exchanged if ever needed. Removal is itself a surgical procedure.

Possibly. A thick, healthy, regular cornea may allow laser to correct a higher power safely than a thin one would. This is why the decision is not made from the glasses number alone. Corneal thickness and shape are measured, and you are then told whether laser or ICL is suitable for your eyes.

It depends on your eyes and which option is suitable, which is known only after measuring. A written estimate is given after your assessment. Vision-correction procedures are elective and usually not covered by insurance. You can contact the hospital on WhatsApp or by phone.

One refractive suitability assessment measures your prescription, corneal thickness and shape, and the space inside your eye, everything needed to tell you whether ICL, LASIK, or neither is right. The surgeon who assesses you gives you the recommendation. Sometimes one eye is suitable for laser and the other for ICL.