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How to get more phakic lens (phakic IOL) patients: a plan for practices

A receptionist at an eye care practice front desk smiles while talking on a headset

Phakic lenses are cash-pay elective eye surgery, and how they are described shapes who books and what they expect. This guide is for practice owners, surgical coordinators and front desk teams: what FDA says about phakic intraocular lenses (phakic IOLs), which claims to avoid, and how to book well-informed consultations.

  1. SearchAn adult looks for care near them.
  2. Your pageWhat you treat, who sees them, one way to book.
  3. Call or formThey call or send a request.
  4. Front deskBooks the visit and never guesses a cause.
  5. Clinical teamThe clinician decides the plan.
How a new patient request reaches your practice.

1. Know what a phakic IOL is and is not

FDA’s page on phakic lenses describes them as “lenses made of plastic or silicone that are implanted into the eye permanently to reduce a person’s need for glasses or contact lenses.” In short:

  • “Phakic refers to the fact that the lens is implanted into the eye without removing the eye’s natural lens.”;
  • “Phakic lenses are intended to be permanent.” Removal is possible, but a return to previous vision “cannot be guaranteed”.

As one example lens, FDA’s PMA record P030016/S035 shows 2022 approval of the EVO/EVO+ Visian Implantable Collamer Lens for myopia within stated ranges. A later supplement, S048, expanded its indicated age range “from 21-45 years old to 21-60 years old”. That is one lens, not all phakic lenses; say “FDA approved” only for the lens you implant and its approved use (see FDA approved or FDA cleared?). “Implantable contact lens” does not appear in that record; pick one name and use it everywhere.

Keep related services separate. FDA says other options “may be available to you, including PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) and LASIK”. See how to get more LASIK patients. Phakic lenses also differ from lenses placed in cataract surgery.

2. Keep claims in line with the risk information

FDA’s risks page lists these as risks of phakic intraocular lens implant surgery:

  • loss of vision that “cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or another surgery”;
  • glare, halos or double vision, and further surgery to reposition, replace or remove the lens;
  • wrong lens power, raised eye pressure, a cloudy cornea, cataract and retinal detachment;
  • infection, bleeding or severe inflammation, which FDA calls rare.

FDA adds “Many treated patients do not achieve 20/20 vision after surgery” and “Long-term data are not available.” So avoid “risk-free”, “20/20 guaranteed”, “never need glasses again”, “reversible” and “no recovery”. Better: “eye surgery with real risks”, “results vary” and “your surgeon will discuss realistic results with you”.

3. Answer first-call questions honestly

  • How much does it cost? Give a clear starting price, say what it includes (surgeon, facility, anesthesia, follow-up visits) and that one eye or both affects the total.
  • Is there downtime? “Yes. You will need a ride home and to the next-day visit. The surgeon will explain at the consultation.”
  • Is it safe? “It is surgery, and all surgery has risks. The surgeon will go through them with you at the consultation.”
  • Who is the surgeon? Give the surgeon’s name and real credentials. Let callers check them with the state medical board.

Leave screening to the surgeon. FDA’s candidacy page names factors such as age, a recent prescription change, pregnancy, some diseases and medicines, contact sports and earlier eye surgery. Your intake form can ask about these. The eye surgeon decides whether someone is a candidate and which lens. Front desk staff only collect the answers. Use the new patient phone script for the rest of the call, and book the consultation, not the surgery, while the caller is on the line.

4. Plan the consultation and recovery

FDA’s surgery page says contact lens wearers may need to stop before the first exam, so tell callers when booking. “About one to two weeks before surgery, your eye doctor may schedule you for a laser iridotomy”, which has its own listed complications, and “The surgery will probably take around 30 minutes.” Keep each lens’s Patient Labeling on hand.

For recovery, FDA says “It usually takes about 2 to 4 weeks for the vision to stabilize” and “It will take about 8 weeks for your eye to heal.” Patients need a ride home and to the next-day visit, and lifelong eye exams. Tell callers early so they can plan around work and events; the surgeon gives exact aftercare instructions.

5. Price, finance and follow up

  • Self-pay patients may be entitled to a good faith estimate; see the good faith estimate guide.
  • If you advertise a discount, follow advertising prices and specials. Avoid deadline pressure on a surgical decision.
  • If you offer financing, follow the patient financing guide.
  • Before-and-after photos need written authorization and honest comparisons; see before-and-after photos. FTC guides treat a patient’s result as typical unless you disclose what patients can generally expect.
  • Follow up after the consultation without pressure; see consultation to treatment. Track phakic IOL requests separately from LASIK, from request to consultation to surgery.

Where MediLeadGen fits

MediLeadGen sends practices requests from people interested in cash-pay elective treatments. Each request goes to one practice only, with the person’s consent naming that practice, at a fixed price per delivered request.

See how it works for practices

Questions practices ask

How do we get more phakic IOL patients?

Answer requests quickly, give clear prices and what they include, introduce the surgeon by real credentials, describe phakic IOLs as eye surgery with real risks and recovery time, and book a consultation where the surgeon can examine the eyes and discuss realistic results.

Can we call our lens FDA approved?

Only if its own FDA record says so, and only for its approved use. The example lens in this guide, the EVO/EVO+ Visian Implantable Collamer Lens, was approved through a PMA supplement. Do not describe the practice or the surgeon as FDA approved.

Can we promise 20/20 vision or no more glasses?

No. FDA says many treated patients do not achieve 20/20 vision after surgery and that patients will probably still need glasses or contact lenses for at least some tasks. Let the surgeon discuss realistic results.

What should we tell callers about recovery?

That someone must drive them home and to the next-day visit, vision usually takes about 2 to 4 weeks to stabilize, eye exams continue for life, and the surgeon gives exact aftercare instructions.

General information for practice teams, not legal or clinical advice. Check device labeling, FDA requirements, state rules and your advertising with counsel and your surgeons. Last reviewed October 2026.

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