ICL (Implantable Contact Lens): Complete Guide to Procedure & Recovery
A thin lens is implanted inside the eye in front of the natural lens to correct high spectacle powers, especially where laser surgery isn't suitable.
- Duration
- About 20–30 minutes per eye
- Anaesthesia
- Topical or local anaesthesia
- Hospital stay
- Day care
Ophthalmology surgeons for ICL (Implantable Contact Lens)
View all 7,938 Ophthalmology doctors →Not every surgeon shown performs this specific procedure, so confirm with them directly.
Doctors are listed in alphabetical order. Payment does not change a doctor's position, and a listing is not an endorsement. Registration details are shown where available. Please verify any doctor on the NMC Indian Medical Register or the State Medical Council. How listings work
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) in India
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) is an ophthalmology procedure used to treat Refractive Error. It is usually done under topical or local anaesthesia, and it is usually done as day care.
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It is usually considered for high myopia and thin corneas unsuitable for LASIK. Only a doctor can confirm whether it is right for you after examination. Go Surgery lists 7,759 ophthalmology surgeons at 17,288 hospitals across 423 cities, including Delhi NCR, Bangalore and Hyderabad. ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) is rarely covered by health insurance in India. Check your policy wording before planning on a claim. Compare surgeons and request an appointment to discuss whether ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) is right for you.
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) Surgeons by City
| City | Doctors Listed in This Speciality | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi NCR | 779 | 816 |
| Bangalore | 368 | 534 |
| Hyderabad | 300 | 668 |
| Mumbai | 285 | 546 |
| Pune | 169 | 337 |
| Ahmedabad | 166 | 1,402 |
| Chennai | 143 | 638 |
| Thane | 128 | 268 |
| Indore | 111 | 95 |
| Aligarh | 99 | 494 |
View all 423 cities
| City | Doctors Listed in This Speciality | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | 92 | 685 |
| Navi Mumbai | 87 | 146 |
| Nagpur | 84 | 145 |
| Amritsar | 82 | 613 |
| Lucknow | 78 | 101 |
| Bhopal | 72 | 92 |
| Bareilly | 70 | 14 |
| Agra | 66 | 763 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 65 | 41 |
| Raipur | 60 | 40 |
| Varanasi | 59 | 61 |
| Chandigarh | 58 | 39 |
| Jaipur | 57 | 174 |
| Kanpur | 57 | 36 |
| Visakhapatnam | 57 | 65 |
| Dehra-dun | 56 | 0 |
| Jabalpur | 56 | 13 |
| Hubli | 55 | 9 |
| Jammu | 55 | 6 |
| Anantapur | 54 | 327 |
| Vijayawada | 54 | 79 |
| Alappuzha | 53 | 293 |
| Ludhiana | 51 | 68 |
| Vadodara | 51 | 76 |
| Mangalore | 50 | 13 |
| Agartala | 49 | 301 |
| Mysore | 49 | 29 |
| Ahmadnagar | 48 | 345 |
| Akola | 48 | 363 |
| Guwahati | 48 | 19 |
| Bhubaneshwar | 47 | 0 |
| Puducherry | 47 | 8 |
| Borivli | 46 | 0 |
| Greater-noida | 45 | 21 |
| Surat | 45 | 85 |
| Thrissur | 45 | 0 |
| Amravati | 43 | 446 |
| Gwalior | 43 | 22 |
| Madurai | 43 | 33 |
| Jalandhar | 42 | 30 |
| Meerut | 42 | 23 |
| Shiliguri | 41 | 0 |
| Coimbatore | 40 | 83 |
| Gorakhpur | 40 | 8 |
| Guntur | 40 | 19 |
| Tiruchirappalli | 40 | 9 |
| Udaipur | 40 | 10 |
| Pimpri-chinchwad | 39 | 9 |
| Bhatpara | 38 | 0 |
| Jodhpur | 37 | 25 |
| Kukatpalli | 36 | 0 |
| Dombivli | 35 | 0 |
| Kollam | 35 | 8 |
| Srinagar | 34 | 9 |
| Howrah | 33 | 16 |
| Ajmer | 32 | 349 |
| Ambattur | 32 | 360 |
| Bhilai | 32 | 2 |
| Moradabad | 32 | 7 |
| Patiala | 32 | 9 |
| Belgaum | 31 | 5 |
| Secunderabad | 31 | 0 |
| Bhavnagar | 29 | 5 |
| Panihati | 29 | 0 |
| Solapur | 29 | 20 |
| Patna | 27 | 269 |
| Prayagraj | 27 | 559 |
| Imphal | 26 | 0 |
| Rajkot | 26 | 41 |
| Bathinda | 25 | 13 |
| Habra | 25 | 0 |
| Kharagpur | 25 | 0 |
| Palakkad | 25 | 8 |
| Hisar | 24 | 19 |
| Kolhapur | 24 | 15 |
| Mathura | 24 | 9 |
| Nashik | 24 | 89 |
| Bhilwara | 23 | 0 |
| Bikaner | 23 | 4 |
| Kamarhati | 23 | 0 |
| Kota | 22 | 6 |
| Nanded | 22 | 6 |
| Ujjain | 22 | 1 |
| Alwar | 21 | 278 |
| Nellore | 21 | 7 |
| Baharampur | 20 | 0 |
| Barddhaman | 20 | 0 |
| Kannur | 20 | 3 |
| Ranchi | 20 | 304 |
| Vellore | 20 | 6 |
| Bhayandar | 19 | 0 |
| Nagercoil | 19 | 2 |
| Brahmapur | 18 | 0 |
| Kozhikode | 18 | 8 |
| Navsari | 18 | 0 |
| Bellary | 17 | 4 |
| Kalyan | 17 | 2 |
| Kurnool | 17 | 6 |
| Jalgaon | 16 | 8 |
| Shivaji-nagar | 16 | 0 |
| Anand | 15 | 227 |
| Durgapur | 15 | 7 |
| Dwarka | 15 | 0 |
| Karol-bagh | 15 | 0 |
| Panaji | 15 | 0 |
| Bhandara | 14 | 2 |
| Bharuch | 14 | 15 |
| Haldwani | 14 | 0 |
| Margao | 14 | 1 |
| Ongole | 14 | 1 |
| Rewa | 14 | 3 |
| Salem | 14 | 22 |
| Karimnagar | 13 | 19 |
| Malegaon | 13 | 0 |
| Nizamabad | 13 | 9 |
| Yavatmal | 13 | 3 |
| Junagadh | 12 | 2 |
| Sangli | 12 | 0 |
| Ulhasnagar | 12 | 0 |
| Aizawl | 11 | 135 |
| Kakinada | 11 | 6 |
| Kottayam | 11 | 10 |
| Kulti | 11 | 3 |
| Muzaffarnagar | 11 | 2 |
| Rampur | 11 | 2 |
| Rohtak | 11 | 13 |
| Valsad | 11 | 2 |
| Begusarai | 10 | 65 |
| Bharatpur | 10 | 2 |
| Dhanbad | 10 | 67 |
| East Delhi | 10 | 0 |
| Malappuram | 10 | 9 |
| Pali | 10 | 3 |
| Saharanpur | 10 | 0 |
| Tirupati | 10 | 4 |
| Davangere | 9 | 0 |
| Hapur | 9 | 2 |
| Ichalkaranji | 9 | 0 |
| Latur | 9 | 4 |
| Muvattupuzha | 9 | 0 |
| Muzaffarpur | 9 | 10 |
| Raurkela | 9 | 2 |
| Ankleshwar | 8 | 157 |
| Asansol | 8 | 330 |
| Bokaro | 8 | 1 |
| Chengannur | 8 | 2 |
| Chikkamagaluru | 8 | 0 |
| Gaya | 8 | 27 |
| Gondia | 8 | 2 |
| Hassan | 8 | 1 |
| Jhansi | 8 | 6 |
| Korba | 8 | 0 |
| Mahbubnagar | 8 | 1 |
| Mumbai Suburban | 8 | 0 |
| Pathanamthitta | 8 | 3 |
| Rajahmundry | 8 | 3 |
| Raniganj | 8 | 2 |
| Ratlam | 8 | 3 |
| Roorkee | 8 | 0 |
| Sagar | 8 | 2 |
| Satara | 8 | 3 |
| Shahjanpur | 8 | 0 |
| Shimoga | 8 | 2 |
| Thanjavur | 8 | 2 |
| Vatakara | 8 | 0 |
| Bhiwandi | 7 | 0 |
| Bidar | 7 | 0 |
| Dhulia | 7 | 0 |
| Eluru | 7 | 0 |
| Firozabad | 7 | 0 |
| Gandhinagar | 7 | 5 |
| Hanamkonda | 7 | 1 |
| Hosur | 7 | 4 |
| Jamnagar | 7 | 6 |
| Karnal | 7 | 9 |
| Mapusa | 7 | 1 |
| Nandyal | 7 | 0 |
| Ponda | 7 | 0 |
| Raichur | 7 | 1 |
| Suryapet | 7 | 0 |
| Tiruppur | 7 | 0 |
| Tumkur | 7 | 5 |
| Yamunanagar | 7 | 7 |
| Bhagalpur | 6 | 78 |
| Daman | 6 | 0 |
| Deoghar | 6 | 73 |
| Dharamshala | 6 | 0 |
| Diu | 6 | 0 |
| Farrukhabad | 6 | 2 |
| Kadapa | 6 | 0 |
| Khammam | 6 | 12 |
| Kochi | 6 | 4 |
| Nadiad | 6 | 1 |
| Parbhani | 6 | 0 |
| Srikakulam | 6 | 4 |
| Adoni | 5 | 82 |
| Aluva | 5 | 0 |
| Itanagar | 5 | 0 |
| Jaisalmer | 5 | 0 |
| Jalna | 5 | 1 |
| Kasaragod | 5 | 1 |
| Katihar | 5 | 42 |
| Kodungallur | 5 | 0 |
| Purnia | 5 | 3 |
| Ratnagiri | 5 | 1 |
| Sikar | 5 | 5 |
| Tiruvannamalai | 5 | 0 |
| Vizianagaram | 5 | 4 |
| Bhuj | 4 | 0 |
| Bilimora | 4 | 0 |
| Chittorgarh | 4 | 0 |
| Dakshina Kannada | 4 | 0 |
| Darbhanga | 4 | 40 |
| Davanagere | 4 | 0 |
| Dewas | 4 | 2 |
| Gandhidham | 4 | 0 |
| Guruvayur | 4 | 0 |
| Hindupur | 4 | 0 |
| Mandya | 4 | 1 |
| Mavoor | 4 | 0 |
| Mumbai City | 4 | 0 |
| Neyyattinkara | 4 | 0 |
| Shimla | 4 | 1 |
| Tenali | 4 | 0 |
| Tirunelveli | 4 | 4 |
| Veraval | 4 | 0 |
| Vidisha | 4 | 0 |
| Warangal | 4 | 5 |
| Yadgir | 4 | 0 |
| Bhadravathi | 3 | 0 |
| Bihar-sharif | 3 | 40 |
| Changanacherry | 3 | 0 |
| Chhindwara | 3 | 0 |
| Dindigul | 3 | 1 |
| Erode | 3 | 3 |
| Gadchiroli | 3 | 0 |
| Godhra | 3 | 0 |
| Hanumangarh | 3 | 0 |
| Haridwar | 3 | 9 |
| Haveri | 3 | 0 |
| Jaunpur | 3 | 0 |
| Kanchipuram | 3 | 5 |
| Khandwa | 3 | 0 |
| Kolar | 3 | 1 |
| Kumbakonam | 3 | 2 |
| Mehsana | 3 | 0 |
| Ottappalam | 3 | 0 |
| Panchkula | 3 | 1 |
| Panipat | 3 | 5 |
| Panna | 3 | 0 |
| Paschim Bardhaman | 3 | 0 |
| Satna | 3 | 1 |
| Shyamnagar | 3 | 0 |
| Sitamarhi | 3 | 1 |
| Sivakasi | 3 | 1 |
| Siwan | 3 | 1 |
| Surendranagar | 3 | 0 |
| Thoothukudi | 3 | 0 |
| Udupi | 3 | 4 |
| Vasco da gama | 3 | 0 |
| Ambala | 2 | 0 |
| Arrah | 2 | 264 |
| Aruppukkottai | 2 | 0 |
| Balaghat | 2 | 0 |
| Ballari | 2 | 1 |
| Bulandshahr | 2 | 0 |
| Chamba | 2 | 0 |
| Chandrapur | 2 | 0 |
| Chitradurga | 2 | 1 |
| Churu | 2 | 0 |
| Cuddalore | 2 | 0 |
| Dispur | 2 | 0 |
| Gadag | 2 | 0 |
| Hooghly | 2 | 0 |
| Kandukur | 2 | 0 |
| Karur | 2 | 2 |
| Koderma | 2 | 1 |
| Leh | 2 | 1 |
| Machilipatnam | 2 | 0 |
| Malda | 2 | 0 |
| Mancherial | 2 | 0 |
| Mansa | 2 | 0 |
| Medchal-Malkajgiri | 2 | 0 |
| Nainital | 2 | 1 |
| Nalgonda | 2 | 0 |
| Nayagarh | 2 | 0 |
| North Goa | 2 | 0 |
| North Lakhimpur | 2 | 0 |
| Palampur | 2 | 0 |
| Patan | 2 | 0 |
| Porbandar | 2 | 0 |
| Proddatur | 2 | 0 |
| Purba Medinipur | 2 | 0 |
| Ramgundam | 2 | 0 |
| Rewari | 2 | 0 |
| Rohtas | 2 | 0 |
| Sangareddy | 2 | 0 |
| Shamli | 2 | 0 |
| Silvassa | 2 | 0 |
| South Goa | 2 | 0 |
| Sri Ganganagar | 2 | 0 |
| Wardha | 2 | 2 |
| Agra Cantt | 1 | 0 |
| Ahmednagar | 1 | 0 |
| Alipurduar | 1 | 0 |
| Ambala Cantt | 1 | 0 |
| Ambikapur | 1 | 0 |
| Anakapalli | 1 | 0 |
| Angul | 1 | 0 |
| Aravalli | 1 | 0 |
| Azamgarh | 1 | 0 |
| Bagalkot | 1 | 0 |
| Balangir | 1 | 0 |
| Balasore | 1 | 0 |
| Ballia | 1 | 0 |
| Banka | 1 | 1 |
| Banswara | 1 | 0 |
| Bapatla | 1 | 0 |
| Baranagar | 1 | 0 |
| Barmer | 1 | 0 |
| Barnala | 1 | 0 |
| Betul | 1 | 0 |
| Bhadrak | 1 | 0 |
| Borgaon | 1 | 0 |
| Buldhana | 1 | 0 |
| Bundi | 1 | 0 |
| Chamarajanagar | 1 | 0 |
| Chapra | 1 | 44 |
| Cherthala | 1 | 2 |
| Chikkaballapur | 1 | 0 |
| Chikodi | 1 | 0 |
| Cuttack | 1 | 11 |
| Datia | 1 | 0 |
| Dausa | 1 | 0 |
| Deoria | 1 | 0 |
| Dhar | 1 | 0 |
| Dhemaji | 1 | 0 |
| Dhubri | 1 | 0 |
| Dhule | 1 | 0 |
| Dibrugarh | 1 | 0 |
| Doddaballapur | 1 | 0 |
| Giridih | 1 | 0 |
| Golaghat | 1 | 0 |
| Gulbarga | 1 | 6 |
| Gumla | 1 | 0 |
| Hazaribag | 1 | 0 |
| Idukki | 1 | 0 |
| Jammalamadugu | 1 | 0 |
| Jamshedpur | 1 | 87 |
| Jharsuguda | 1 | 0 |
| Jhunjhunu | 1 | 0 |
| Jind | 1 | 0 |
| Kaithal | 1 | 0 |
| Kalaburagi | 1 | 0 |
| Kamareddy | 1 | 0 |
| Karauli | 1 | 0 |
| Karwar | 1 | 1 |
| Khairthal-Tijara | 1 | 0 |
| Madhepura | 1 | 0 |
| Mahisagar | 1 | 0 |
| Mandi | 1 | 1 |
| Mandsaur | 1 | 0 |
| Mayurbhanj | 1 | 0 |
| Medhe | 1 | 0 |
| Mohali | 1 | 0 |
| Morbi | 1 | 0 |
| Morena | 1 | 0 |
| Mount_Abu | 1 | 0 |
| Munger | 1 | 7 |
| Murshidabad | 1 | 0 |
| Nalanda | 1 | 0 |
| Namakkal | 1 | 0 |
| Narsinghpur | 1 | 0 |
| Neemuch | 1 | 0 |
| North Dumdum | 1 | 1 |
| North East Delhi | 1 | 0 |
| Osmanabad | 1 | 0 |
| Pandharpur | 1 | 0 |
| Paralakhemundi | 1 | 0 |
| Pauri Garhwal | 1 | 0 |
| Prakasam | 1 | 0 |
| Pratapganj | 1 | 0 |
| Pudukkottai | 1 | 1 |
| Purba Bardhaman | 1 | 0 |
| Purulia | 1 | 1 |
| Ramanagara | 1 | 0 |
| Sabarkantha | 1 | 0 |
| Sambalpur | 1 | 0 |
| Sawai Madhopur | 1 | 0 |
| Shahjahanpur | 1 | 1 |
| Shajapur | 1 | 0 |
| Sheohar | 1 | 0 |
| Shillong | 1 | 1 |
| Shirdi | 1 | 0 |
| Shravasti | 1 | 0 |
| Siddipet | 1 | 0 |
| Silchar | 1 | 0 |
| Sirsa | 1 | 0 |
| Sitapur | 1 | 0 |
| Sivasagar | 1 | 0 |
| Solan | 1 | 1 |
| Sonipat | 1 | 0 |
| South West Delhi | 1 | 0 |
| Sri Muktsar Sahib | 1 | 0 |
| Tinsukia | 1 | 0 |
| Tiruvarur | 1 | 0 |
| Uttar Dinajpur | 1 | 0 |
| Vapi | 1 | 0 |
| Wayanad | 1 | 0 |
| West Delhi | 1 | 0 |
| West Godavari | 1 | 0 |
| West Tripura | 1 | 0 |
| Zunheboto | 1 | 0 |
When it's recommended
- High myopia
- Thin corneas unsuitable for LASIK
What happens during the procedure
- Local or topical anaesthesia
- Micro-incision
- Foldable lens inserted behind the iris
- Drops afterwards
Recovery
A few days.
Typical hospital stay: Day care
Risks & complications
- Raised eye pressure
- Cataract
- Infection (rare)
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) cost in India
Go Surgery doesn't publish prices for icl (implantable contact lens) yet. Costs vary with the procedure, the hospital and the city, so ask for a written estimate that lists the surgeon's fee, hospital charges, anaesthesia, consumables and follow-up.
Get a written estimateInsurance and payment options
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) is rarely covered by health insurance in India. Check your policy wording before planning on a claim.
Paying for Your Treatment
Cashless Insurance
Share your policy details and our insurance desk will confirm what's covered.
No-Cost EMI
Ask our team about spreading the cost over monthly instalments.
Ophthalmology hospitals
View all 17,304 →
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi
Allergist · Andrologist · Anesthesiologist
Hospitals Offering ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) in India
1,341 hospitals are listed for this speciality. The 8 hospitals with the most listed surgeons are shown.
| Hospital | City | Doctors Listed in This Speciality |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital | Kolkata | 52 |
| Centre For Sight | Delhi NCR | 49 |
| ICARE Eye Hospital | Delhi NCR | 34 |
| Vasan Eye Care Hospital | Chennai | 21 |
| Vasan Eye Care Hospital | Bangalore | 18 |
| Shroff Eye Centre | Delhi NCR | 18 |
| Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital | Hyderabad | 18 |
| Centre for Sight | Delhi NCR | 16 |
ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) near you
FAQs
How long does ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) take?
About 20–30 minutes per eye. The exact time depends on your case.
Will I need to stay in hospital?
Typical hospital stay: Day care.
What anaesthesia is used?
Topical or local anaesthesia. Your anaesthetist will confirm the plan for you.
How long is recovery after ICL (Implantable Contact Lens)?
A few days.
Is ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) covered by insurance?
It is usually not covered by health insurance, because it is typically elective. Some policies have exceptions — our team can check yours.
Other Treatments
| Treatment | Duration | Anaesthesia | Hospital Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Laparoscopic Hernia Repair | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Cataract Surgery (Phacoemulsification) | About 15–30 minutes | Topical (drops) or local anaesthesia | No stay — day care |
| Total Knee Replacement | About 1.5–2 hours | Spinal or general anaesthesia | 3–5 days |
| RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery) | About 45–90 minutes | General anaesthesia | Same day or 1 day |
| Circumcision | About 20–45 minutes | Local or general anaesthesia | Same day |
| Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for Varicose Veins | About 45–60 minutes | Local anaesthesia | Same day |
| Laparoscopic Appendectomy | About 45–60 minutes | General anaesthesia | 1–2 days (longer if the appendix had burst) |
| Gynecomastia Surgery | About 1–2 hours | General or local anaesthesia with sedation | Same day |
Other treatments in this speciality
Cataract Surgery (Phacoemulsification)
The cloudy lens is broken up with ultrasound through a tiny incision and replaced with a clear artificial lens (IOL). Stitches are usually not needed.
Glaucoma Surgery
A new drainage pathway is created (trabeculectomy) or a drainage device inserted to lower eye pressure when drops or laser are not enough.
LASIK
A laser reshapes the cornea to correct myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, reducing or removing the need for glasses.
SMILE Laser Vision Correction
A femtosecond laser creates a thin lens-shaped piece of tissue inside the cornea which is removed through a small incision, correcting myopia without a flap.
Pterygium Surgery
The pterygium is removed and the area covered with a small graft of conjunctiva from the same eye to reduce recurrence.
Retina Laser (Photocoagulation)
Laser burns are applied to the retina to seal leaking vessels or reduce abnormal vessel growth in diabetic retinopathy and other retinal conditions.
Figures are counted from the Go Surgery directory. How we compile our pages: Editorial Policy.