IMPLANTABLE CONTACT LENSES
Janet St. James reports
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If you've dreamed of throwing away your contacts or glasses but don't like the downsides of Lasik, there is an alternative - one that doesn't use a blade, laser, or need stitches.
Tommy Hardeman can't believe how crisp the leaves look these days.
"Everything is so clear. I'm still not fully used to not wearing glasses or contacts," he said.
This 20-year-old college student didn't get 20-20 vision with Lasik.
He is wearing permanent contacts.
"Patients are really thinking this is better than sliced bread," said Dr. Jeffrey Whitman, an eye surgeon.
Implantable contact lenses -- or ICL -- involves a minimally invasive surgery with one, small, self-healing cut.
The lens is inserted in front of the eye's own lens, behind the pupil.
It takes just 10 minutes an eye. Patients are awake the entire time.
ICL costs $3,000 to $4,000 an eye and is not covered by insurance.
But, unlike the less costly Lasik, which forever changes the shape of the cornea, with ICL, anything done can also be undone.
"We have a lens that we can remove if we want to do something, a new technology comes out and we want to do something down the line. And we haven't interfered with the structure of the eye," said Dr. Whitman.
He says implantable contact technology has now advanced to reach any patient eligible for Lasik, as well as those who aren't good candidates.
And there are no downsides like a halo-effect or dry-eyes. With any surgery, there are some risk but well worth it, for Tommy Hardeman.
"It left me more options than Lasik did. For later on in life, if my eyesight had to change a little bit, I was still able to fix that," he said.
For the first time, Hardeman says he can see the blackboard and read the small text without glasses or contacts.
