Long-term ICL surveillance – annual vault measurement, endothelial cell count monitoring, intraocular pressure assessment – is a lifelong clinical requirement. ¹ For patients who travel for surgery and then return to their home region, structuring this ongoing care is a pre-operative responsibility of the centre performing surgery, not an afterthought to be resolved when an appointment is needed.
The local ophthalmologist managing annual follow-up needs specific information to do so safely: the ICL size and model, the vault measurement at the most recent review, the endothelial cell count trend, the intraocular pressure history, and the refractive outcome. ² Without this data, a local clinician is managing an ICL patient without the clinical context required to interpret what they are finding. A mildly low vault that has been stable for three years has a different clinical significance to a vault that has dropped 150 microns in twelve months – but that distinction is only visible to a clinician with access to the longitudinal record.
At Blue Fin Vision®, the process of identifying a named local ophthalmologist begins before surgery. That clinician is communicated with by name, copied into operative and post-operative correspondence from the outset, and provided with the full clinical record that allows them to manage ongoing surveillance competently. ³ The system is established before it is needed – not assembled in response to a complication or at the point when the patient requests their first local appointment.
Patients travelling for ICL surgery should confirm this process has been initiated – and not assume it will happen automatically.
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.
- Igarashi A, Shimizu K, Kato S, Kamiya K. Posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens and corneal endothelium: 5-year follow-up. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2009;35(3):488–492. PMID: 19251139.
- Kamiya K, Shimizu K, Igarashi A, Komatsu M. Four-year follow-up of posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens implantation for moderate to high myopia. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(7):845–850. PMID: 19597104.
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?
