​Implantable Contact Lenses

When a person is found unsuitable for LASIK or PRK, e.g. when he or she has a high degree but inadequate cornea thickness for full laser correction, the NUH LASIK Centre can offer lens implants that can correct this.
 
This is a day surgery procedure during which a special lens is inserted into the eye. This lens is designed to stay in the eye for a lifetime and can be removed at the time of cataract surgery if the patient develops a cataract later in life. The lens is soft and pliable and can be inserted into the eye though a very small self-sealing wound that does not require stitches.
 
The US Navy has published reports which show that the quality of vision provided by lenses such as the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) is similar to that of wavefront LASIK.
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Advanced Cataract Surgery

If, during your assessment for laser vision correction, you are found to have a cataract, your surgeon may advise you to undergo cataract surgery instead. Depending on your needs, he may suggest one of the following:​

  • Multifocal Lens Implant
If you have presbyopia (problems with near vision due to old age), you may benefit from a multifocal lens implant. These lens help patients to see near and far objects without the need for reading glasses. However, there are compromises, such as reduced contrast and glare and halos at night, which the patient has to contend with. Some lenses are also not as good for seeing objects of intermediate distance. Patients may still require the use of reading glasses for intensive near work like reading a book.

  • Monovision
Monovision is a technique that corrects one eye for distant vision and the other for near vision. The difference between the two eyes is kept within 150 degrees so that the eyes can still work together. Aspheric lens implants can be used to increase depth and focus and improve the blending of vision between the two eyes.​

  • Aspheric Lens Implant
Aspheric lens implants can help to correct the vision of patients with significant cornea spherical aberration to improve the depth of focus and quality of vision. Spherical aberration occurs naturally in the eye and reduces the sharpness of images when light rays from the periphery of the cornea reach the retina slightly off-focus. Your ophththalmologist will need to assess which aspheric implant would suit you most.

  • Toric Lens Implant
This is a lens implant that may be useful for those whose corneas have a significant degree of astigmatism. The lens has built-in astigmatic correction.

  • Laser-Enhanced Cataract Surgery
For those with residual refractive errors after cataract surgery, they can choose the option of laser vision correction (LASIK or PRK) a few months after the surgery when the cataract surgery outcome has stabilised.

  • Cataract extraction for Very High Myopia
In cases where myopia is very high and not suitable for LASIK, e.g. 2000 degrees, patients with cataract can be offered the option of removing their cataract, together with a suitable lens implant, as a means of correcting their myopia.

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