Individuals looking to ditch their glasses or regular contacts and are not eligible for LASIK have a new option to explore thanks to Dr. Ron Baldassare, owner of Vivid Laser Centre in 琉璃神社. 

The clinic is now offering an implantable contact lens (ICL), the first to do so in B.C.'s southern interior. 

Dr. Baldassare explained that the lens is implanted behind the pupil and in front of the eye's natural lens.

"There's lots of advantages to doing this type of surgery over LASIK," Baldassare said. "We're not affecting the nerves 360 degrees on the cornea, so we tend to get a lot less dry eye."

LASIK is a common laser eye surgery procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. 

Baldassare said LASIK is still a good option, but "some people are not candidates either because their cornea is too thin or the shape of their cornea it's not recommended that we do LASIK on".  ICL opens up more options for people looking to have their vision corrected. 

The implantable lens is also reversible, unlike other procedures. 

Technology for implantable contact lenses has been around about 20 years, the doctor noted, but "I didn't think it was good enough" to replace LASIK or quality enough to perform ICL on family. 

"Now, it's called the EVO ICL, this version is quite good."

Patients are already lined up with the first procedure scheduled for May. 

Anyone wanting to learn more or those who have been denied LASIK in the past and want to check their eligibility for ICL can contact the clinic through its website .