It is designed to stay indefinitely — and to be removable by the surgeon, which is part of its appeal for younger, highly myopic eyes. Its FDA-approved patient booklet adds that the lens’s lasting effect on the eye after removal isn’t known, so vision may not return to what it was before surgery.

Can I still wear contacts or have other surgery later?

Yes; because the cornea is untouched, later options stay open. That flexibility is a core reason surgeons reach for ICL.

What do the follow-ups check?

Pressure, lens position and overall eye health — early and then annually, all at our office on Wilshire.

EVO ICL is an implantable collamer lens: a lens made of a soft, collagen-containing material called Collamer that a surgeon places inside your eye through a small incision in the cornea, behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) and in front of your natural lens. It corrects nearsightedness from 3 to 15 diopters (the unit glasses prescriptions use) and partly corrects it up to 20, and a toric version also corrects astigmatism, without reshaping the cornea. The procedure usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes. FDA approved EVO, made by STAAR Surgical, in March 2022.

Who is a good candidate for EVO ICL?

EVO ICL is FDA-approved for nearsighted adults 21 to 45 years old, and a toric version corrects astigmatism at the same time. It is not used during pregnancy or nursing, with moderate to severe glaucoma, or in eyes with too little space between the cornea and the iris. It often comes up when a prescription is too high, or a cornea too thin, for laser surgery. Your work-up here documents how stable your prescription has been and gathers the corneal maps and measurements the surgical team uses to size the lens.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kevin Cohenmehr, OD Last reviewed October 27, 2026

EVO ICL Co-Management

When the prescription is too big for lasers, add a lens instead.

An implantable collamer lens sits behind the iris and corrects from inside the eye — nothing removed, nothing reshaped, and removable by the surgeon if life ever calls for it. It shines for high myopia and corneas too thin to sculpt.

Book appointmentOr call 310-828-2010 Accepted insurance

A quiet exam lane, phoropter in the foreground

For: High myopia, thin corneas
Nature: Additive and removable
Surgeon decides: Sizing and placement
We run: Work-up and every follow-up

The arc

Inside-the-eye correction, outside-the-OR care.

01
Candidacy
Prescription stability, corneal maps, and the measurements the surgical team needs to size the lens, all assembled here and sent over complete.
02
Surgery day
The surgeon places the lens through a small opening; most patients notice the change almost immediately.
03
The early watch
First-day and first-week checks look at pressure and how the lens sits; this is the stage of ICL care that needs close follow-up.
04
The long term
Annual exams keep watch on the lens, your pressure and the rest of the eye; the implant itself needs no daily care at all.

Why co-manage here

One plan, two offices, zero gaps.

Candidacy work-up and corneal maps before anyone operates
Records and measurements shared directly with the surgical team
Your post-op checks minutes from home, with same-day access if anything feels wrong
The full co-management picture

Book a candidacy work-up

Common questions

EVO ICL, answered.

Anything else, call the office at 310-828-2010.

It is designed to stay indefinitely — and to be removable by the surgeon, which is part of its appeal for younger, highly myopic eyes. Its FDA-approved patient booklet adds that the lens’s lasting effect on the eye after removal isn’t known, so vision may not return to what it was before surgery.
Yes; because the cornea is untouched, later options stay open. That flexibility is a core reason surgeons reach for ICL.
Pressure, lens position and overall eye health — early and then annually, all at our office on Wilshire.
EVO ICL is an implantable collamer lens: a lens made of a soft, collagen-containing material called Collamer that a surgeon places inside your eye through a small incision in the cornea, behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) and in front of your natural lens. It corrects nearsightedness from 3 to 15 diopters (the unit glasses prescriptions use) and partly corrects it up to 20, and a toric version also corrects astigmatism, without reshaping the cornea. The procedure usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes. FDA approved EVO, made by STAAR Surgical, in March 2022.
EVO ICL is FDA-approved for nearsighted adults 21 to 45 years old, and a toric version corrects astigmatism at the same time. It is not used during pregnancy or nursing, with moderate to severe glaucoma, or in eyes with too little space between the cornea and the iris. It often comes up when a prescription is too high, or a cornea too thin, for laser surgery. Your work-up here documents how stable your prescription has been and gathers the corneal maps and measurements the surgical team uses to size the lens.

EVO ICL near you

12222 Wilshire Blvd, on the Santa Monica border.

West Los Angeles Brentwood Santa Monica Westwood Beverly Hills Culver City Pacific Palisades West Hollywood Marina del Rey Newport Beach

Also consider

Next step

Told your prescription is “too high for LASIK”?

That sentence is where ICL conversations start. Bring it to a work-up with our optometrists in Los Angeles.

Book a work-up Or call 310-828-2010