CAN'T DO LASIK? CHECK OUT IMPLANTABLE CONTACT LENSES

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Health August 10, 2008
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Can't do LASIK? Check out implantable contact lenses
BY RYAN ORI GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

MATT DAYHOFF/GHNS Dr. Quentin Allen, right, of the Illinois Eye Center, checks the eyes of recent multifocal implant recipient Tom Trainor, 72, during an office visit. Trainor had cataracts in both eyes that had progressed to the point that glasses wouldn't correct his vision anymore. He now has 20/20 vision in both eyes.
Would you pay $4,000 to reduce or eliminate use of your glasses? LASIK and other types of laser surgery can correct vision problems in younger patients, but many — such as those with irregular shaping or thinning of the cornea — are not candidates.

"The approval is for near-sightedness right now, not far-sightedness yet," said Dr. Yannis Kolettis, who, along with Dr. Thomas Wyman, will soon perform implantable contact lenses procedures at the Illinois Eye Center.

NOTE: KOLETTIS AND WYMAN ARE VERY RESPECTED PERSONALITIES IN THE EYE SURGERY INDUSTRY.

Although ICLs have been available internationally for more than a decade, they only recently gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

After applying local anesthesia, a small surgical blade is used to cut a 3-millimeter incision on the eye. The lens is implanted into the opening.

"It sits behind the color part of the eye and floats in front of the lens," Kolettis said. "It acts like a contact does, but it's in the eye."

Like laser surgeries, the ICLs are considered elective surgery. Because multifocal lenses perform the same function as glasses or contacts, they also are deemed elective.

ICL and multifocal IOL procedures cost about $2,000 per eye.

Tom Trainor, a 72-yearold from Edelstein, Ill., made that investment last August.

"Oh, yes, I'd do it again," said Trainor, who had multifocal lenses implanted by Dr. Quentin Allen. "You wake up in the middle of the night, you look over at the clock and you see what time it is — like I could years ago."

The retired Caterpillar Inc. manager of manufacturing said even high-powered glasses made it difficult to focus for bow hunting and archery. Since the cataract surgery and installation of ReSTOR lenses, Trainor said he has bagged up all of his glasses so he can donate them to others.

"I don't need glasses for anything at all," Trainor said. "I can read fine print. I can go from the TV to the computer to reading to outdoor activities."

The only complaint is blurring of distant headlights during night driving. Allen, who performs the majority of multifocal procedures at the Illinois Eye Center, said that is a common side effect.

Ophthalmologists discourage patients with eye disease, such as advanced glaucoma or macular degeneration, from spending money on an upgrade. ICLs aren't recommended to people beyond mid-40s.


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