There’s always a market for LASIK alternatives due to the many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to undergo LASIK eye correction surgery. Some might not want to choose such a permanent procedure such as LASIK, or some might not qualify for LASIK due to dry eyes, thin corneas or over-bad eyesight.

In either case, LASIK alternatives such as Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) come into the picture. Recently, Visian ICL was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now being performed in select eye centers in the United States.

Visian ICL has the advantages of not requiring removal of corneal tissue (which LASIK requires) and being reversible. This is because it is based on a “…unique, foldable design…” which “…allows the lens to be implanted with a 3mm incision and does not require stitches.” Apparently, competing technology such as LASIK requires an incision twice that size.

But if you’re looking for a non-surgical procedure, you’ll have to look elsewhere - perhaps to adaptive optics or Corneal Refractive Therapy. Furthermore, Visian ICL isn’t exactly cheap - though I do not have actual figures to quote at the moment.

In any case, ICL seems to be a tried and tested procedure - implanted in over 40,000 eyes worldwide so far. So, if you do not like LASIK, or do not qualify for it, you have Visian ICL as an alternative.

[News via Carolina Newswire]