--- title: Is surgery performed in a proper hospital theatre with laminar airflow? description: "ICL surgery is an intraocular procedure. The lens is introduced through a small corneal incision into the anterior chamber of the eye - a sterile space that, under normal conditions, has no contact with the external environment. Any breach of…" url: "https://bluefinvision.com/knowledge-base/topics/treatments-procedures/is-surgery-performed-in-a-proper-hospital-theatre-with-laminar-airflow/" updated: "2026-03-30" category: "Treatments & Procedures" --- # Is surgery performed in a proper hospital theatre with laminar airflow? ICL surgery is an intraocular procedure. The lens is introduced through a small corneal incision into the anterior chamber of the eye - a sterile space that, under normal conditions, has no contact with the external environment. Any breach of the infection-control standards applicable to intraocular surgery creates a risk of endophthalmitis: a rare but potentially devastating infection that can result in permanent, severe visual loss. ¹ The appropriate environment for ICL surgery is a fully equipped hospital theatre with positive-pressure laminar airflow ventilation and a minimum of 20 air exchanges per hour - the same standards required for cataract and vitreoretinal surgery. ² ³ Performing ICL implantation in a laser treatment room, a minor procedures suite, or any environment not designed for sterile intraocular surgery represents a compromise that patients should not be expected to accept. At Blue Fin Vision®, all ICL surgery is performed in regulated hospital theatres, across Harley Street, Essex, and Hertfordshire, operating to full laminar airflow standards. The choice of partner hospitals is a deliberate one: Phoenix Hospital Group, Weymouth Street Hospital, and One Hatfield Hospital all maintain theatre environments appropriate for the infection-control requirements of intraocular surgery. Patients should ask this question directly and expect a specific answer, not a reassurance. **References** 1. 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. 2. Packer M. Meta-analysis and review: effectiveness, safety, and central port design of the intraocular collamer lens. Clin Ophthalmol. 2016;10:1059–1077. PMID: 27390517. 3. 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. 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