What does ICL stand for, and is it the same as a phakic IOL?

ICL stands for Implantable Collamer Lens. Phakic IOL is the overall category — a lens implanted while your natural lens stays in place — and the ICL is its best-known type, so the terms are often used interchangeably. Whichever term you searched for, this page covers the same procedure.

How is a phakic IOL different from the lens used in cataract surgery?

A phakic IOL is added in front of your own natural lens, which stays in the eye, to correct your glasses number. In cataract surgery, the natural lens is removed and replaced. A phakic IOL is a vision-correction option for a healthy eye, not a cataract treatment.

Is ICL better than LASIK?

Neither is better on its own — it depends on your eyes. ICL is often preferred for high powers, thinner corneas or dry-eye-prone eyes because it does not remove corneal tissue, while LASIK suits many low-to-moderate powers with healthy corneal thickness. Our surgeons recommend the option that fits your eyes after a detailed evaluation.

Can the ICL be removed later?

Yes. One advantage of ICL is that it is removable — the lens can be taken out or exchanged by your surgeon if your vision needs change or a different solution becomes more suitable later in life. Your natural lens stays in place throughout.

Is ICL surgery painful?

ICL is performed under numbing eye drops, so most patients feel pressure and awareness rather than pain during the short procedure. Mild watering, light sensitivity or haze for a day or two afterward is common and is managed with prescribed drops.

Can ICL correct high myopia and astigmatism?

Yes. ICL is particularly well suited to high myopia (high nearsightedness), and toric lens designs can also correct astigmatism. Your surgeon confirms the right lens for your power at your evaluation.

Will I be able to feel or see the lens inside my eye?

No. The lens is designed to sit quietly behind the iris and in front of your natural lens, where it is not felt in daily life and is not visible to other people. Some awareness of the eye is normal in the early recovery days and settles as the eye heals.

How long does an ICL last, and does it need check-ups?

The ICL is designed to stay in the eye long-term and does not need routine replacement, but it can be removed or exchanged if needed. Periodic follow-up visits are important to monitor your eye pressure, the lens position and the health of your eye over time.

How much does ICL surgery cost at Dayal Eye Centre?

ICL cost depends on the specific lens your eyes need (standard or toric), your prescription, and whether one or both eyes are treated, so no flat price is quoted online. The exact cost is confirmed after an examination and lens planning, subject to an individual consultation. Easy EMI via Savein is available.

ICL Surgery in Gurgaon (Implantable Collamer Lens)

ICL Surgery helps reduce your dependence on glasses and contact lenses, especially if you have a high glasses prescription, thin corneas, or are not suitable for LASIK. Also known as an Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) or Phakic IOL, it is a soft, biocompatible lens placed inside the eye without removing or reshaping the cornea.

NABH Accredited

1.2 Lakh+ Surgeries

20+ Years of Trust

SMILE & Contoura Under One Roof

Specialist-Led

NABH Accredited

1.2 Lakh+ Surgeries

20+ Years of Trust

SMILE & Contoura Under One Roof

Specialist-Led

Book an ICL Consultation

+91 81786 39701

Cornea untouched · Removable · For high powers & thin corneas

Ruled out for LASIK? You may still have options.

A high power or a thin cornea does not always mean surgery is off the table. Book an ICL consultation and consult with our doctors about your candidacy, the lens options and what results are realistic for your eyes.

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Candidacy

Is ICL the Right Choice for Your Eyes?

ICL stands for Implantable Collamer Lens — the most widely known type of phakic intraocular lens, meaning a lens added inside the eye while your own natural lens stays in place. It corrects high nearsightedness (myopia — a high minus “glasses number”), and specific lens designs also correct astigmatism. Because the correction sits inside the eye rather than on the cornea, we often consider ICL exactly when laser is not ideal.

You May Be a Strong Candidate for an ICL If Some of These Describe You

Candidacy framing consistent with US FDA labelling for implantable collamer lenses and American Academy of Ophthalmology guidance on phakic IOLs for high refractive error. Only a detailed evaluation can confirm.

Am I a Candidate? Book Your Assessment

A high glasses number: Particularly high myopia — at or beyond the comfortable range for laser correction.

Thin or borderline corneas: Corneal mapping shows LASIK or SMILE is less suitable; if keratoconus is suspected, the cornea is stabilised first (for example with CXL) before any refractive decision.

Prone to dry eyes: A corneal laser procedure may be less comfortable — the ICL leaves the corneal surface untouched.

A high myopia power, thin corneas or a borderline corneal shape can make LASIK or SMILE less suitable on corneal mapping. Some patients in this group have early corneal-shape changes that need a cornea opinion first — if keratoconus is suspected, we stabilise the cornea (for example with corneal cross-linking, CXL) before any refractive decision is made.

If a detailed check shows ICL is not ideal, we will say so honestly and talk you through alternatives — laser reshaping with LASIK or SMILE, or a flapless surface option like PRK for thinner corneas within laser range. Being guided to the right procedure, rather than pushed into one, is part of specialist-led care.

The Lens Family

ICL Is a Type of Phakic IOL — the Lens Family, Explained

“Phakic IOL” (phakic intraocular lens) is the category; the ICL is its best-known member. Phakic simply means your own natural lens stays in the eye — the implant is added in front of it to correct your glasses number. That is the crucial difference from cataract surgery, where the natural lens is removed and replaced: a phakic IOL is a vision-correction option for a healthy eye, not a cataract treatment.

Phakic IOL ≠ Cataract Surgery

A phakic IOL is added in front of your natural lens, which stays in place. In cataract surgery the natural lens is removed and replaced. This page is about vision correction for a healthy eye.

Lens Added, Not Tissue Removed

Laser procedures subtract corneal tissue to change focus. A phakic IOL adds a lens instead — the cornea and your natural lens stay intact, and the correction remains removable.

The Technology

How Does an ICL Actually Work?

An ICL is a soft, flexible lens made from Collamer — a proprietary collagen-containing biocompatible material designed to sit quietly inside the eye without being sensed by it. Think of it as a contact lens that lives inside the eye rather than on its surface, working together with your natural lens to focus light on the retina.

Precision Before Surgery

How We Confirm Your ICL Candidacy Before Surgery

With a lens that lives inside the eye, the measurements matter as much as the surgery — so much of the important work happens before the day itself. This is where an accredited hospital set-up shows.

Corneal Mapping — OCULUS Pentacam

Tomography of the cornea and anterior segment, including anterior chamber depth — the internal space the lens needs to sit safely.

Biometry — Zeiss IOL Master 700

Precise optical measurements used in sizing and power planning for the lens. Read about the IOL Master 700.

Endothelial Assessment

Checking the health of the cornea’s inner cell layer, which we also monitor at reviews after surgery.

Full Dilated Examination

Ruling out cataract, uncontrolled glaucoma, retinal issues and any active disease before we recommend an intraocular procedure.

From these measurements your surgeon selects the lens size and power — what surgeons call planning the vault, the small clearance between the ICL and your natural lens. Careful sizing here is the single biggest factor in a comfortable long-term result, and it is why we will not shortcut the workup.

The Procedure

What Happens on the Day of ICL Surgery, and How Long Is Recovery?

ICL is a quick, daycare (walk-in, walk-out) procedure — no overnight admission. The implantation itself usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes per eye, though you should plan a couple of hours at the centre for preparation and post-procedure checks, and arrange for someone to accompany you.

Numbing Drops

Numbing drops keep the eye comfortable — you feel pressure and awareness rather than sharp pain.

Tiny Self-Sealing Opening

Your surgeon makes a tiny, self-sealing opening at the edge of the cornea — usually no stitches needed.

Folded Lens Inserted

The folded ICL is gently inserted and positioned behind the iris and in front of your natural lens.

Home the Same Day

After post-procedure checks you go home the same day; follow-up visits confirm the lens is sitting well and your eye pressure is normal.

No Stitches, Home the Same Day

Numbing drops keep the eye comfortable — you feel pressure and awareness rather than sharp pain. The tiny opening at the edge of the cornea is self-sealing, so there are usually no stitches, and you go home the same day. Your surgeon will advise whether to treat both eyes together or a few days apart.

Recovery Is Usually Quick

Many patients notice a clear improvement within a day or two, though some watering, light sensitivity or mild haze in the first few days is normal. You will have eye drops and a simple do’s-and-don’ts routine — no rubbing the eye, protection from dust and water, and a short break from swimming, eye make-up and contact sport. Follow-up visits confirm the lens is sitting well and your eye pressure is normal.

Individual results and recovery vary based on your eye condition, prescription/power range, eye anatomy, age, overall eye health and healing response. The timelines above are typical and can vary from person to person.

Know Your Options

ICL vs LASIK vs SMILE — How Do They Compare?

Because we offer laser and lens-based options under one roof, our surgeons can match the method to your eyes rather than fitting every eye to one procedure. The table below is a simple guide; the right choice is always confirmed after a detailed evaluation. For the reasoning in depth, read why an ICL can be a better fit than LASIK for some eyes.

ICL vs LASIK vs SMILE — at a Glance (a Detailed Evaluation Confirms What Suits Your Eyes)

Procedure	How it works	Well suited for	Removes corneal tissue?	Removable?
ICL (phakic IOL)	A soft Collamer lens is placed inside the eye, in front of your natural lens	High myopia and high powers, thin corneas, dry-eye-prone eyes	No — the cornea is left untouched	Yes — the lens can be removed or exchanged
LASIK	A laser reshapes the cornea under a thin flap	Low-to-moderate powers with adequate corneal thickness	Yes — a small amount of corneal tissue	No — reshaping is not reversed
SMILE (ReLEx SMILE)	Flapless, keyhole laser reshaping of the cornea	Myopia with or without astigmatism, dry-eye-prone and active patients	Yes — a small lenticule of tissue	No — reshaping is not reversed

In short: laser procedures reshape the cornea and suit low-to-moderate powers, while ICL adds a lens inside the eye and often suits higher powers, thinner corneas or dry-eye-prone eyes. Neither is superior in the abstract — the right procedure is the one that fits your eyes. (A flapless surface option, PRK, covers a further group of laser-range eyes where a flap is the concern.)

Honest Disclosure

What Are the Honest Considerations and Risks?

ICL is a well-established procedure used worldwide for many years, and serious complications are uncommon in carefully selected patients. But it is intraocular surgery — a procedure inside the eye — so it carries a different risk profile from corneal laser surgery, and no surgery is without risk. Being open about this is part of how we help you decide. The specifics we will discuss with you honestly:

Vault and sizing. Occasionally the lens sits higher or lower than planned and may need repositioning or exchange — this is precisely why the pre-operative sizing workup is so detailed.

Eye pressure. In some eyes the internal pressure can rise, so we check it after surgery and at every review.

Cataract and the corneal cell layer. Over the long term there is a small possibility of early cataract change or gradual endothelial cell loss, which is why periodic lifelong check-ups are part of living with an ICL — we monitor both at your reviews.

Night-vision effects. Some patients notice glare or haloes around lights early on; these typically settle as the eye adapts.

Infection or inflammation. As with any intraocular procedure the risk is small, but it is real, and we will tell you exactly what warning signs to report.

The goal we set with you is realistic: to reduce your dependence on glasses for everyday life, not to promise a fixed outcome. Reading glasses may still be needed later in life as age-related near blur (presbyopia) sets in. Your surgeon will explain what is achievable for your specific eyes.

Cost & Payment

How Much Does ICL Surgery Cost in Gurgaon?

The honest answer: ICL cost is not a flat figure, and we do not quote one online. It depends on the specific lens your eyes need — standard or toric (astigmatism-correcting) — your prescription, and whether one or both eyes are treated. Because every lens is individually sized and powered for your eye, your exact cost is confirmed only after an individual consultation, eye examination and lens planning. We would rather give you an accurate, personalised estimate than an inaccurate number on a webpage.

What Decides Your ICL Cost

The lens type (standard or toric), your prescription, and whether one or both eyes are treated. Every lens is individually sized and powered for your eye after the diagnostic workup.

What we can promise is transparent, up-front costing once your eyes have been assessed.

Easy EMI & Planning

Refractive surgery is usually elective, so insurance cover is generally limited — but Easy EMI (via Savein) helps you spread the cost comfortably.

For context on how laser-based alternatives are priced, see our refractive surgery cost in Gurgaon page.

Pricing note: all costs are subject to an individual consultation and eye examination; no fixed quotes are provided online.

Get an ICL costing that fits your eyes.

Every eye — and every lens — is different, so your exact ICL cost is confirmed only after an examination. Consult with our doctors for a clear, personalised estimate and to discuss Easy EMI.

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Our Team

The Surgeons Behind ICL at Dayal Eye Centre

Dr. Sanjeev Bisla

Director & Chief Ophthalmologist

MBBS (GMC Miraj), MS Ophthalmology (PGIMS Rohtak), with fellowships in Phaco and Glaucoma from the renowned Aravind Eye Hospital. A Phaco, Refractive and Glaucoma surgeon with 23+ years of experience and 80,000+ cataract surgeries — decades of intraocular lens surgery experience that translates directly to the precision ICL demands.

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Dr. Hem Shah

Cornea & Phaco Surgeon

MBBS (Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences), DNB Ophthalmology, with cornea and anterior-segment specialisation from Aravind, Madurai. His anterior-segment and lens expertise (including multifocal and toric lens work) supports the assessment of exactly the thin-cornea, high-power eyes for whom ICL is considered.

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Meet Our Refractive Surgeons

Why Us

Why Choose Dayal Eye Centre for ICL in Gurgaon?

Refractive surgery is our flagship strength, and precise lens sizing and planning matter more in ICL than in almost any other refractive procedure. Our set-up is built for exactly that.

NABH-Accredited Eye Hospital

Three modular operation theatres and an in-patient ward — quality and safety systems you can verify.

Specialist-Led, Personal Care

You are assessed and treated by senior surgeons, with time to ask questions and no pressure to proceed.

Advanced Diagnostics for Precise Planning

Corneal mapping and anterior chamber depth on the OCULUS Pentacam, biometry on the Zeiss IOL Master 700 for accurate lens sizing.

The Full Ladder of Options Under One Roof

ICL/phakic IOL, LASIK, Contoura, SMILE and surface PRK — so a lens-based option is recommended only when it genuinely suits your eyes.

Trusted Track Record

1.2 lakh+ surgeries, 20+ years of experience, and recognition including the Ayushman Bharat Awards (2021 & 2024).

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

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Consult With Our Doctors About ICL

If a high number, a thin cornea or dry eyes have kept you in glasses, ICL may open up options that laser cannot. Our team will assess your candidacy, explain the lens choices and answer every question — with no pressure to proceed.