Short answer: An implantable contact lens (ICL), often called a permanent contact lens, is designed to stay in your eye for life, with no cleaning or replacement (STAAR Surgical). The long-term evidence on today’s EVO ICL is good: after 8 years, 83% of eyes were within 0.50 D of their target prescription, and the prescription had changed by an average of only 0.13 D (Kamiya et al., 2021); after 10 years, there were no cataracts, no glaucoma and no lenses removed in a study of 103 eyes (Chung et al., 2025). What can change is your eye around the lens: most people need reading glasses from their mid-40s, and when a cataract forms later in life, the ICL is removed in the same operation.

Every ICL we implant at Focus Vision is the EVO ICL, made by STAAR Surgical. This guide explains how long the results last, what the evidence shows, what can change over the years, and why regular check-ups matter. For the procedure itself, see our implantable contact lens page and our complete ICL guide.

Does the lens wear out?

No. The ICL is a thin, soft lens made of Collamer, placed inside the eye in front of your natural lens. It is designed to stay in place long term, without the daily care or regular replacement of ordinary contact lenses (STAAR Surgical).

“Permanent” doesn’t mean irreversible, though. The FDA-approved patient information for the EVO ICL says the lens can be replaced or removed if needed (FDA patient labelling, 2022). Being removable is one of the main differences from laser eye surgery, which permanently reshapes the cornea.

How long do the results last? What the evidence shows

StudyEyesFollow-upWithin 0.50 D of targetWithin 1.00 DWhat else it found
US FDA trial of the EVO ICL (Parkhurst et al., 2025)6293 years90.7%99.0%Cataract in 1 eye (0.16%)
EVO ICL, Japan (Kamiya et al., 2021)1778 years83%93%Prescription changed by an average of 0.13 D
EVO ICL, Korea (Chung et al., 2025)10310 years74%99%No cataract, glaucoma or lens removal

In plain English: most people’s vision stays very close to where it was after surgery, years later. In the 8-year study, the average change in prescription between the first month and eight years was −0.13 D, less than the smallest step (0.25 D) used in glasses prescriptions (Kamiya et al., 2021). Reviews of the EVO ICL’s central-port design, covering thousands of eyes, have reached the same conclusion: safe and effective, with stable results and low rates of complications (Packer, 2018; Montés-Micó et al., 2021).

Why today’s EVO ICL lasts better than older ICLs

If you’ve read about ICLs causing cataracts, that evidence mostly comes from older ICL models, before the current design. The EVO ICL has a tiny central port (hole) that lets fluid flow naturally inside the eye, which earlier lenses didn’t have.

  • Older lenses. In a study of an earlier ICL model, 18.3% of eyes needed cataract surgery within 10 years (Guber et al., 2016).
  • The EVO ICL. A review of the central-port lens found reduced rates of cataract, and of pupillary block (a sudden pressure rise), compared with earlier models (Packer, 2018). In the US FDA trial, 1 eye in 629 (0.16%) developed a cataract over three years (Parkhurst et al., 2025). In the 8-year study, 3 eyes (1.7%) did, and all three had early lens changes before surgery (Kamiya et al., 2021). In the 10-year study, none did (Chung et al., 2025).

What can change over the years

The lens stays the same, but your eyes keep ageing. Here is what to expect.

Reading glasses from your mid-40s

An ICL corrects your distance prescription. It doesn’t stop the natural lens behind it from slowly losing its ability to focus up close, which is called presbyopia. As the American Academy of Ophthalmology puts it, with or without refractive surgery, almost everyone with excellent distance vision will need reading glasses after around age 40 (AAO). When that happens, you have options, from reading glasses to lens replacement later on. See how to get rid of reading glasses.

Cataract, later in life

Eventually most people develop a cataract, whether or not they’ve had an ICL. When that happens, the ICL is removed and the cataract is treated in the same operation, with a new lens implant chosen for your eye. In a multicentre study of 83 eyes having this combined surgery, 76% were within 0.50 D and 94% within 1.0 D of the planned prescription afterwards, with no vision-threatening complications (Kamiya et al., 2025).

If you need reading glasses in your 50s or 60s and want to be less reliant on them, the same approach can be used earlier, as refractive lens exchange: the ICL and natural lens are replaced with a single premium lens.

Small changes in prescription

Your prescription may still drift slightly over the years, although in the EVO ICL studies the average change was very small (Kamiya et al., 2021). If a visually significant prescription remains after ICL surgery, laser fine-tuning is free for two years under our enhancement policy, when it is stable, safe and worthwhile.

Replacing or removing the lens

This is uncommon. In a study of 770 eyes with a current-model ICL, 8 (1.0%) needed the lens removed: five because of cataract and three because of a remaining prescription (Hayakawa et al., 2020). In the US FDA trial, 2 of 629 eyes (0.32%) had the lens exchanged because it sat too high in the eye (Parkhurst et al., 2025).

Why regular check-ups matter

An ICL is a lifetime commitment to a yearly eye check. After your first year of follow-up with us, these annual check-ups can be with your local optometrist: you don’t need to come back to Focus Vision for them. Your optometrist checks:

  • The health of your cornea. The cornea’s inner layer of cells (the endothelium) keeps it clear, and its cell count falls slowly with age. In the US FDA trial, it fell by 6.7% over three years (Parkhurst et al., 2025); in the 8-year study there was no significant loss (Kamiya et al., 2021). The authors of the 10-year study recommend closer monitoring for people whose cell count is low to begin with (Chung et al., 2025).
  • The position of the lens (its “vault”). The space between the ICL and your natural lens gradually reduces over the years (Chung et al., 2025). A lens that sits too low can be linked to cataract, and one that sits too high to pressure problems, so it is checked at each visit (EyeWiki).
  • Your eye pressure. In the 8-year study there was no significant rise in pressure, and in the 10-year study no glaucoma (Kamiya et al., 2021; Chung et al., 2025).
  • The clarity of your natural lens, to pick up early cataract.

Your first year of follow-up appointments at Focus Vision is included in the price. After that, your optometrist can look after your yearly checks and refer you back to us if anything needs attention, and you are always welcome to contact us with any concerns on (07) 3239 5005.

Is an ICL good value over time?

At Focus Vision, ICL surgery is from $7,000 per eye, all-inclusive: the lens, the anaesthetist, hospital and theatre fees, your assessments and a year of follow-up appointments. Prescribed medications and eye drops are extra, and Medicare doesn’t cover ICL surgery to correct your prescription (costs page).

Because the lens is designed to stay in for decades, it helps to compare that with what you spend now. Add up a year of contact lenses, solutions and glasses, then multiply by the years ahead. See ICL surgery cost in Australia for how prices compare.

Who suits an ICL?

An ICL often suits adults over 21 with a stable prescription who have high short-sightedness, astigmatism, or corneas too thin for laser. It isn’t right for everyone: your eye needs enough space in front of the natural lens, and your surgeon will check for other eye conditions. See ICL vs laser eye surgery for high prescriptions for how the two compare.

To find out whether an ICL suits your eyes, book a free optometrist assessment or call (07) 3239 5005.

References

  1. STAAR Surgical. EVO ICL (product information). evo.staar.com
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. EVO/EVO+ Visian Implantable Collamer Lens: patient labelling. PMA P030016/S035, 2022. accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf3/P030016S035D.pdf
  3. Parkhurst G, Brinton JP, Faulkner A, et al. Three year results from the United States FDA prospective multicenter clinical study of the EVO/EVO+ Implantable Collamer Lens. Clin Ophthalmol. 2025;19:3237-3248. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40937096
  4. Kamiya K, Shimizu K, Takahashi M, et al. Eight-year outcomes of implantation of posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens with a central port for moderate to high ametropia. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:799078. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34977099
  5. Chung B, Choi JY, Kang DSY, et al. 10-year clinical outcomes of V4c Implantable Collamer Lens implantation: longitudinal analysis of visual acuity, endothelial cell density, and vault dynamics. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025;269:1-10. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39142448
  6. Packer M. The Implantable Collamer Lens with a central port: review of the literature. Clin Ophthalmol. 2018;12:2427-2438. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30568421
  7. Montés-Micó R, Ruiz-Mesa R, Rodríguez-Prats JL, et al. Posterior-chamber phakic implantable collamer lenses with a central port: a review. Acta Ophthalmol. 2021;99(3):e288-e301. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8246543
  8. Guber I, Mouvet V, et al. Clinical outcomes and cataract formation rates in eyes 10 years after posterior phakic lens implantation for myopia. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016;134(5):487-494. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.0078. doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.0078
  9. American Academy of Ophthalmology. LASIK: laser eye surgery. EyeSmart. aao.org/eye-health/treatments/lasik
  10. Kamiya K, Shimizu K, Kitazawa Y, et al. A multicenter study on clinical outcomes of simultaneous implantable collamer lens removal and phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in eyes developing cataract. Ophthalmol Ther. 2025;14(2):337-350. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39692854
  11. Hayakawa H, Kamiya K, Ando W, et al. Etiology and outcomes of current posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens extraction. Sci Rep. 2020;10. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33303807
  12. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Implantable Collamer Lens. EyeWiki. eyewiki.org/Implantable_Collamer_Lens
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David Gunn

MBBS (Hons I), BSc, CertLRS, FRANZCO, FWCRS

Dr David Gunn is a corneal, cataract and laser eye surgeon and co-founder of Focus Vision in Brisbane. He completed fellowship training at the Bristol Eye Hospital and the London Vision Clinic in the UK, was the first surgeon in Australia to perform the CLEAR lenticule extraction procedure, and performed the first CAIRS procedure in Australia and New Zealand. He practises at the Queensland Eye Institute and co-created the CAIRSPlan surgical planner.

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