Is ICL implantation safer because it does not involve removing corneal tissue?
Based on evidence available at the one-year follow-up, ICL implantation was found to be safer than corneal laser surgery in certain respects. A Cochrane review combining three randomized controlled trials involving 228 eyes found that ICL implantation was associated with significantly fewer losses of best-corrected visual acuity [1]. However, this safety assessment was not based on superior visual outcomes. In the same review, there was no statistically significant difference between the two procedures in the proportion of patients achieving uncorrected visual acuity of 20/20 or better at 12 months [1]. A question like this often appears on Korean Q&A platforms: "I've looked into it, and I've found quite a lot of posts from people who had their implants removed due to side effects. I'm currently 24. If I undergo ICL implantation, could I end up needing the lenses removed in my 40s because of insufficient corneal endothelial cells or the development of cataracts?...
