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[Recruiting 100 Participants]

Academic Clinical Monitor Recruitment for the New "IPCL for Myopia & Astigmatism Correction"

(※Excludes Presbyopia Treatment Models)

This is a new phakic intraocular lens (IPCL) that obtained manufacturing and marketing approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in April 2025. Our clinic is currently recruiting clinical monitors who are willing to assist by providing data for the future development of ophthalmology and academic reporting. For those who agree to participate, we will provide the treatment at a special [monitor fee]

■ Monitor Eligibility Requirements:

  1. • Consent to provide pre- and post-operative data, including visual acuity, myopia, and astigmatism measurements.
  2. • Ability to attend scheduled post-op follow-up examinations (1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months post-op, etc.).
  3. • Diagnosed as a suitable candidate for IPCL surgery following our clinic's diagnostic evaluation.
  4. ※All provided data will be fully anonymized to protect personal identity and used exclusively for academic presentations and papers. Your privacy is strictly protected.

■ Monitor Benefits & Pricing:

  1. • Monitor Fee: ¥407,000 (tax included)
    【Regular Price: ¥580,000 (tax included)】
  2. • Warranty Period: 3 years (Free lens size/power exchanges and eye drops within 6 months post-op; lens exchanges after 6 months charged at the initial fee rate; checkups and secondary procedures free for 3 years)
  3. • Optional Upgrades:① Toric (Astigmatism Correction): +¥50,000 per eye (tax included)② Premium 3-Year Warranty Plan: +¥100,000 (tax included) (Extends the free lens size/power exchange period to 3 full years, and caps post-3-year exchanges at 50% of the initial surgical fee)

■ Recruitment Period & Capacity Notice:

  1. Capacity: 100 participants (Applications will close without prior notice once capacity is reached)

What is IPCL?

A New Vision Correction Option That Preserves Your Cornea and Addresses Presbyopia

IPCL (Implantable Phakic Contact Lens) is a posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens designed to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism while preserving your natural crystalline lens, similar to the widely proven ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens). Once implanted inside the eye, it requires no daily maintenance and delivers long-lasting, high-quality vision.

IPCL lens

History of IPCL V2.0

Launched in 2017, IPCL received the European CE Mark and is currently used in over 40 countries worldwide. In Japan, it obtained pharmaceutical approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in April 2025 and was officially released in September 2025 as an advanced intraocular contact lens option.

Material

IPCL is manufactured from a hybrid hydrophilic acrylic material—a polymer widely utilized in cataract intraocular lenses—and features built-in UV blocking capabilities.

Surgical Procedure & Patient Journey

Surgical Procedure

The surgical instruments and fundamental steps for IPCL implantation are virtually identical to those of ICL surgery. Performed under topical anesthesia (eye drops), the bilateral procedure takes only a short time on an outpatient basis.

STEP1 Administer dilating and anesthetic eye drops. Create a micro-incision (approx. 2.8 mm) at the corneal margin. STEP2 Insert the folded lens into the eye through the incision. STEP3 Position the lens between the posterior surface of the iris and the natural lens. STEP4 Constrict the pupil to complete the surgery.
STEP 1　Topical Anesthesia & Micro-Incision
Anesthetic eye drops are administered, and a tiny incision of approximately 2.8 mm is made at the edge of the cornea.
STEP 2　Lens Insertion
The folded IPCL is gently injected into the eye using a specialized injector, where it unfolds naturally.
STEP 3　Lens Positioning
Using delicate surgical instruments, the haptics of the lens are tucked securely behind the iris (pupil).
STEP 4　Post-Op Check & Recovery
After constricting the pupil to secure the lens in place, you will rest in our recovery lounge for 20 to 30 minutes. Following a post-op exam to confirm optimal intraocular pressure and lens position, you may return home.

Patient Journey

①Book a Suitability Exam (Online or via Phone)
②Initial Suitability Examination (Contact lens restrictions required prior to exam)
Comprehensive diagnostic testing to evaluate eligibility.
③Power Calculation & Specialist Consultation
Precise sizing and refractive power determinations.
④Surgery Day
⑤Postoperative Follow-Up Exams

Advantages & Disadvantages (Risk Information)

Because IPCL preserves corneal tissue, it shares key benefits with ICL—high visual quality and reversibility (the ability to be removed/restored). Additionally, IPCL offers unique individual features. However, as a newer lens technology, specific disadvantages and clinical considerations must be understood.

Unique Advantages & Features of IPCL

Presbyopia Correction Capability
IPCL offers a specialized presbyopia-correcting model: "Presbyopic IPCL V2.0." Featuring a multifocal optical structure, it covers focal distances from far to near, offering significant benefits for individuals suffering from age-related reading difficulty alongside myopia or astigmatism.
※The presbyopic IPCL model is currently unapproved by MHLW in Japan and is provided via medical personal importation.
※Our clinic's current monitor recruitment applies exclusively to myopia and astigmatism models.
Extensive Sizing Options & Custom Toric Alignment
IPCL can correct hyperopia as well as extreme myopia up to -20.0D. It is available in 13 finely stepped sizes at 0.25 mm increments. Furthermore, toric (astigmatism) lenses are custom-manufactured to align with the patient's specific astigmatic axis, allowing the lens to be positioned horizontally in the eye.
Reversibility & Secondary Adjustments
The ability to remove or replace the lens provides immense reassurance. If residual refractive errors persist, if adaptation proves difficult, or if unexpected complications arise, the lens can be exchanged or removed. Should cataracts develop later in life, the IPCL can be extracted to allow standard cataract surgery.
Understanding the "13 Size Options"
Having 13 size variations theoretically allows optimal sizing and postoperative vaulting (distance between lens and natural crystalline lens). However, accurate mathematical formulas for predicting post-op IPCL vaulting have not yet been fully established, leading to variance. Conversely, while ICL offers only 4 sizes, established calculation formulas and extensive peer-reviewed literature provide highly reliable data. If sizing formulas for IPCL mature in the future, this size variety will become a major asset.
Understanding the "Multiple Central Holes"
Some argue that IPCL's higher number of central holes reduces post-op cataract or glaucoma risks compared to ICL. While ICL's central port size and location were engineered via fluid dynamics research to prove aqueous humor circulation, IPCL's multiple holes currently lack sufficient scientific evidence to substantiate similar claims.

Disadvantages & Precautions of IPCL

Limited Long-Term Track Record & Material Concerns
Compared to the 30+ year clinical history of ICL's Collamer material, IPCL's hybrid hydrophilic acrylic material has less than 10 years of clinical usage as a phakic IOL. Although widely used in cataract IOLs, hydrophilic acrylics historically faced issues with calcification and opacification, leading many Japanese surgeons to prefer hydrophobic acrylics. Furthermore, because phakic IOLs sit directly against the posterior iris, some surgeons express concern over long-term risks such as chronic low-grade inflammation, secondary glaucoma, or corneal endothelial cell loss.
Globally, ICL has been implanted in over 4 million eyes (over 300,000 in Japan) with 700+ published papers. In contrast, domestic IPCL implantations have only recently passed 10,000, with very few published reports and unknown long-term outcomes. While IPCL is MHLW-approved and short-term safety is confirmed, long-term efficacy and safety require ongoing clinical monitoring.
Risk of Iris Capture (Subluxation)
IPCL material is slightly stiffer than ICL and features a trapezoidal shape, making it more prone to "Iris Capture" (where the lens becomes hooked on the iris, creating a vertical pupil shape known as "cat eye"). This occurs more frequently with oversized lenses and may require miotic eye drops, lens repositioning, or exchange for a smaller lens size.
Visual Quality Trade-offs in Presbyopic Lenses
Because the "Presbyopic IPCL" utilizes a multifocal design, patients may experience reduced contrast in dim lighting and halos/glare (rings around light sources at night), similar to multifocal cataract lenses. Furthermore, distance visual acuity may be slightly less sharp compared to standard monofocal lenses.
※Our clinic's current monitor recruitment applies exclusively to myopia and astigmatism models.

Aftercare

Mandatory Postoperative Follow-Up Schedule
Patients are required to attend scheduled follow-up appointments at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-op (and annually thereafter) to evaluate vision, corneal endothelial cell counts, and lens vaulting. Given the limited long-term clinical data available for IPCL, our clinic strongly emphasizes careful, long-term follow-up monitoring.