Accurate sizing, patient selection make phakic IOLs safer than laser, surgeon says

TOKYO — Phakic IOLs, including the Visian ICL from STAAR Surgical, present many advantages over corneal surgery, from better predictability to higher quality of vision and better safety, because they leave the cornea untouched and avoid the risk of ectasia, according to one surgeon. “Implantation is technically demanding, and inaccurate surgery is, in fact, a major risk factor for complications, but when we tell our patients that laser is not surgery and has no risks, we are misleading them,” Alaa El Danasoury, MD, said at the World Ophthalmology Congress.