ICL surgery is designed for moderate to very high prescriptions that may be less ideal for standard laser procedures.
Typical refractive ranges
Exact limits depend on lens model and eye anatomy.
- Myopia roughly from about -0.5 to around -18 to -20 dioptres
- Hyperopia up to around +10 dioptres in some designs
- Astigmatism typically up to about 3-6 dioptres with toric ICLs
- Both spherical error and astigmatism assessed together to choose lens type
- Prescriptions should be stable on repeated tests before surgery
When ICL is particularly helpful
It fills gaps where glasses, contacts, or laser are less ideal.
- Very high myopia causing thick, heavy glasses or strong contacts
- Hyperopia where corneal laser would require large tissue removal
- Mixed astigmatic errors that can be addressed by toric designs
- Eyes with adequate internal space but borderline corneal thickness
- Patients wanting a reversible, intraocular approach to correction
