What is an implantable contact lens (ICL)?
An implantable lens is a corrective lens placed inside the eye in front of your natural lens, without removing it. It is used most often for higher prescriptions where laser surgery would remove too much corneal tissue, and the natural lens remains in place.
- Subject
- Eye conditions
- Topic
- Cataract
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- ICL
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Because the natural lens stays, reading vision changes with age exactly as it would have done otherwise, and the implant can be removed or exchanged if that becomes necessary. It is an intraocular operation, so it carries the small risks of entering the eye rather than the risks of reshaping the surface.
What this answer depends on
- The size of your prescription and your corneal thickness
- The depth of the front chamber of the eye
- Whether your natural lens is still clear, and your age
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Eye conditions & diseases in Cataract . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure Cataract surgery
- Procedure Refractive lens exchange (RLE)
- Condition Cataract
- Place Cataract surgery in Dubai
- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77)
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026