Online Photo Diagnosis

By Gregory W. DeNaeyer, OD

This photograph shows a Vision implantable collamer lens (ICL) from Staar Surgical. This implant was placed in the left eye of a 44-year-old female patient three years ago to correct her -15.25D of myopia. Currently, uncorrected vision of her left eye is 20/50 and manifest refraction is -1.25DS 20/25. She also underwent implantation in her right eye, resulting in 20/30 uncorrected acuity. The ICL is mildly pigmented and is vaulted away from her natural lens. The amount of vault is designated by comparing it to the patient's corneal thickness, and in this case the estimation is >90 percent vault. An ICL that doesn't vault will induce a cataract. A peripheral iridotomy is always performed pre-op to prevent angle closure after implantation. The power of the ICL is calculated using a formula available through Staar. A three-year follow up of the FDA study of ICLs showed that 94.7 percent of patients had 20/40 or better uncorrected acuity.

Reference

• Ophthalmology. 2004 Sep;111(9):1683-92.