ICL: lens-based vision correction

TL;DR

ICL is a lens-based procedure that aims to reduce dependence on glasses. It is a soft lens placed inside your eye, not laser on the cornea, so it removes no corneal tissue and can be removed or exchanged later. It is often considered for higher powers, thinner or irregular corneas, and dry eyes. ICL is done in-house at Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital. An assessment comes first and tells you which option, if any, is suitable for your eyes. Results vary from person to person.

What an ICL is

An ICL, or Implantable Collamer Lens, is a soft, flexible lens placed gently inside your eye, in front of your natural lens. It is not handled or cleaned by you, and is not normally felt. Unlike laser, an ICL removes no corneal tissue, which is why it can be considered for some eyes that are not suitable for laser.

Who ICL may suit

Most people who consider ICL have already wondered about laser. ICL is often considered when:

• Your spectacle power is high, beyond what laser comfortably corrects.
• Your corneas are thin or irregular, so removing tissue is not wise.
• You have dry eyes that laser could aggravate.
• You have been found unsuitable for laser at an assessment.

The first step is a refractive suitability assessment, the examination that shows whether laser, ICL, or neither is suitable for your eyes.

It is done in-house at Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital

ICL is performed here at Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital, Himayat Nagar, by Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy. Assessment, procedure and follow-up all take place at the hospital.

The assessment that decides laser, ICL, or neither

The assessment measures your prescription, your corneal thickness and shape, and the space inside the eye where an ICL would sit. From those findings you are told which option is suitable, and sometimes the advice is to keep your glasses for now. Second opinion consultations are also available.

Removable, and planned for the long term

Because an ICL adds a lens rather than altering your cornea, it is removable and exchangeable. If your vision needs change over the years, or if you eventually need cataract surgery, the lens can be removed by the surgeon.

Recovery, in brief

ICL is a short procedure under local anaesthetic, usually a same-day visit. Vision usually improves over the first few days, with a schedule of drops and a few follow-up visits. Recovery varies from person to person. You leave with written instructions and a contact number.

About the hospital

Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital was established in 1975 and is in Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad. Laser refractive surgery and ICL are both available. Appointments can be requested through the appointment form.

ICL: patient guide

What the assessment and the procedure involve, in order, with the risks stated plainly.

Who it is for

• Adults whose spectacle power has been stable for about a year.
• Eyes with enough space in the front chamber for the lens to sit safely. This is measured, and not every eye has it.
• People with high power, thin or irregular corneas, or dry eye, in whom laser is not advised.

What happens, step by step

1. Assessment.Your power is measured, the cornea is mapped, and the depth and width of the front chamber of the eye are measured. Eye pressure and the retina are examined.
2. Lens order.The lens is ordered in the power and size your measurements call for. The team tells you when it is expected.
3. Procedure.Dilating and numbing drops are applied. Through a small incision the folded lens is placed behind the iris, in front of your natural lens, where it unfolds.
4. Before you leave.You rest, and the eye is checked before you go home the same day with drops and written instructions.
5. Reviews.Follow-up visits are scheduled, with a longer-term review each year.

Which tests are done, and why

• Refraction.Confirms the power the lens must correct, including astigmatism.
• Corneal tomography.Measures the depth of the front chamber and the diameter of the cornea, which are used to select the lens size.
• Eye pressure.Recorded beforehand as a baseline, because pressure is watched after the procedure.
• Dilated retina examination.Highly short-sighted eyes can have weak areas in the retina that need to be known beforehand.

What you feel

• The assessment tests are painless. Dilating drops sting briefly and blur near vision for a few hours.
• During the procedure you are awake and the eye is numbed. You see light and may feel touch or pressure.
• For the first few days the eye can feel scratchy and sensitive to light.

Recovery, in days and weeks

• Day of the procedure.Rest at home. Vision is often blurred on the first day.
• First week.Use the drops on schedule. Do not rub the eye. Avoid heavy lifting, swimming and dust.
• First few weeks.Vision usually improves over the first few days and settles over the following weeks. Recovery varies from person to person.
• Each year.A yearly review checks the lens position, eye pressure and the retina.

Risks and limits

• Risks include a rise in eye pressure, soon after the procedure or later.
• Clouding of your natural lens (cataract), which may then need cataract surgery.
• A lens that turns out to be too large or too small for the eye, or a toric lens that rotates, and needs to be repositioned or exchanged.
• Infection inside the eye, which is uncommon but serious.
• Glare and halos around lights at night.
• Gradual loss of cells on the inner surface of the cornea, which is one reason yearly reviews are advised.
• ICL does not prevent presbyopia or cataract, and highly short-sighted eyes still need regular retina checks.

The surgeon explains these, and how likely each is for your eye, before you consent.

What you are told before you consent

• What the examination and measurements show, in plain language.
• The options for your eye, including waiting or not having the procedure.
• What the procedure is expected to do, and what it cannot do.
• The risks that apply to your eye in particular.
• A written estimate, and whether your insurance policy is likely to apply.
• You do not need to decide on the day of the consultation. Nothing is scheduled without your signed consent.

What affects the cost

• The lens ordered for your eye, including whether it corrects astigmatism.
• Whether one or both eyes are treated.
• Refractive procedures are usually excluded from health insurance.

A written estimate is given after the consultation, once your eyes have been examined.

What to bring

• Your current glasses and older prescriptions, which show how stable your power has been.
• Any report from an earlier laser suitability assessment.
• A list of your medicines.
• Someone to accompany you on the assessment day and the procedure day.

Related

• Compare LASIK vs SMILE Pro vs ICL
• ICL vs LASIK for high myopia
• SMILE Pro: flapless laser vision correction
• LASIK in Hyderabad: is laser right for you?
• Check your refractive suitability: laser, ICL, or neither
• Doctor profile: Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy
• Appointment request form
• Second opinion consultations
• Visit us in Himayat Nagar

Medically reviewed by Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy, MBBS, DO, DNB (Ophthalmology). Registered with the Telangana State Medical Council, Reg. No. 57104. Last reviewed 15 June 2026.