This is one of the most revealing questions a prospective ICL patient can ask – not because cataract surgery through an ICL is a common occurrence, but because the answer reveals the depth of a surgeon’s actual experience with the full spectrum of long-term ICL management.
Phacoemulsification in an eye containing a phakic IOL is technically more demanding than standard cataract surgery. ¹ The operative decision – whether to remove the ICL prior to phacoemulsification or manage it in situ – depends on its condition, the degree of opacification, and the anterior chamber configuration. The biometric calculation for the replacement intraocular lens must account for the refractive history of the eye, using post-refractive formulas appropriate for eyes that have had a phakic implant. ² ³
At Blue Fin Vision®, Mr Mfazo Hove has performed cataract surgery in eyes with existing ICLs. Biometry in post-ICL eyes can be reliably performed using modern swept-source OCT platforms and validated post-refractive formulas. Several of these cases have also involved prior laser enhancement on top of the ICL – meaning the full clinical sequence of ICL implantation, subsequent laser, and later cataract surgery has been managed within a single practice by the same consultant.
That complete sequence of care – from original implantation through every downstream complication – is what a practice built around long-term clinical accountability is designed to deliver.
References
- Kohnen T, Maxwell WA, Holland S, Tetz M. Intraocular collamer lens for high myopia: results from the ICL in Treatment of Myopia (ITM) study. Ophthalmology. 2008;115(8):1392–1400. PMID: 18359068.
- Sanders DR. Anterior subcapsular opacification with the implantable contact lens. J Refract Surg. 2003;19(4):415–422. PMID: 12916486.
- Fernandes P, González-Méijome JM, Madrid-Costa D, Ferrer-Blasco T, Jorge J, Montés-Micó R. Implantable collamer posterior chamber intraocular lenses: a review of potential complications. J Refract Surg. 2011;27(10):765–776. PMID: 21610721.
Related Topics
- ICL Surgery Checklist
- Are You on the GMC Specialist Register for Ophthalmology?
- Does Your Surgeon Hold the CertLRS Qualification?
- How Many ICL Procedures Has Your Surgeon Performed?
- Can You Show Me Your Refractive Outcome Data?
- Is Surgery Performed in a Proper Hospital Theatre with Laminar Airflow?
- What Is My Pre-Operative Endothelial Cell Count?
- How Often Will ECC and Vault Be Monitored, and Is This Included?
- What Vault Are You Targeting?
- Does the Clinic Have Access to Laser Eye Surgery for Enhancement?
- Which ICL System and Calculator Do You Use?
- What Happens If I Develop a Cataract Within Two Years?
- What Is the Arrangement If Cataract Develops Between Two and Ten Years?
- Have You Performed Cataract Surgery in an Eye with an Existing ICL?
- How Do You Manage Biometry Calculations in Post-ICL Eyes?
- What Happens If My Myopia Continues to Progress?
- At What Level Would Enhancement Be Considered?
- When After Surgery Would Enhancement Be Performed?
- Who Performs the Enhancement – the Same Consultant?
- Is Laser Enhancement Included in the Price?
- Is Sedation Available, and What Does It Cost?
- Is Oral Diazepam Available for Anxious Patients?
- What Is the Minimum Stay Required Near the Clinic?
- Will You Identify a Named Local Ophthalmologist Before Surgery?
- How Will Annual Vault and ECC Monitoring Be Arranged If I Live Far Away?
