ICL Surgery Growth: 3 Strategies Ophthalmologists are Using to Boost Profits

By Blakely Roth | June 18, 2025

During a recent strategy session with our joint council of ophthalmology leaders, comprised of CEOs and executives from multi-location practices, one topic stood out…the growing popularity of Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) procedures. 

These executives shared valuable insights: 

• The emergence of ICL technology is drawing patients away from LASIK, largely due to ICL’s reversibility and broad eligibility 

• Practices leveraging online self-scheduling are seeing rapid adoption, including bookings for ICLs and other premium procedures 

• Self-scheduling and custom registration questions are effectivly leading to a boost in ICL interest 

These trends reflect a strategic shift for practices; as LASIK interest teeters, ICL surgeries are becoming a new growth engine for ophthalmologists. Now is the time to capitalize on this patient interest!

Why Ophthalmology Leaders Are Prioritizing ICL Over LASIK in 2025

Historically, LASIK has been a cornerstone of premium service lines in ophthalmology practices. However, trends, technology and public perception are shifting. According to ASCRS EyeWorld, one MD recently shared, “In years past, we could only qualified 70–75% of patients for LASIK. Now, more than 90% of people who come to our clinic qualify for something, and that’s fun as a refractive surgeon to have all those tools. It’s good for patients, too, because they get better visual outcomes and a procedure more tailored to them.” 

According to leaders in our client council, LASIK volumes are slowing while patient interest in ICL and other eye surgery options are picking up—especially for those previously ineligible for LASIK. 

Why the growing interest? ICL offers several advantages including:

• The surgery is reversible—unlike LASIK 

• It’s a great alternative for patients with thin corneas or dry eyes who wouldn’t typically qualify for LASIK 

• The approach can correct a wider range of prescriptions and is not dependent on corneal reshaping 

As awareness of these benefits increases, patients are actively seeking out ICL consultations, even asking for them by name. Another MD shared, “We were down with LASIK 4%, but when we looked at our other procedures like custom lens replacement and ICLs, our numbers were way up. We made massive gains on those two segments.” 

The general consensus from Ophthalmologists is that having a variety of treatment options available for patients helps providers offer the safest and most effective approach for each patient’s unique situation. As a result, ophthalmology practices now have a critical opportunity to capture and convert patient interest in ICLs. 

3 Strategies Ophthalmology Practices Use to Increase ICL Revenue

New technology and treatment options are making better vision an option for a higher percentage of patients, which means more patients and profits for ophthalmologists with the right strategy.  

ICL surgeries, like LASIK, represent high-value, out-of-pocket procedures. Capitalizing on this demand requires more than listing the service on your website—it demands a frictionless, personalized patient journey from awareness to booked consultation. 

Ophthalmology practices are shifting how they engage patients with three key actions: 

1. Predictive Patient Targeting: Marketing ICL procedures to the right patient demographics, by targeting those who are more likely to book 
2. 24/7 Online Scheduling for ICL Consults: Driving patients to scheduling links instead of generic contact forms or phone numbers 
3. Analysis of Top-Converting Channels: Reviewing campaign ROI and conversions to determine which channels bring in the most patients 

Review each strategy to see how you can boost ICL bookings.

1. Predictive Patient Targeting

Identify potential ICL candidates early and route them to appropriate consultations, increasing the likelihood of converting interest into booked appointments. Ophthalmology practices can do this both through their external marketing efforts and with custom questions at check-in.  

For example, Ophthalmology practices are already using predictive patient targeting strategies to identify best-fit patients and then determine which channels those patients frequent—so they can get their ads directly in front of their ideal patient demographics. See the tactics practices are using right now to get the most out of their marketing dollars. SocialClimb’s CEO, Ty Allen, shares what you can do at the beginning of this conversation. 

Alternatively, practices are using custom check-in workflows to build awareness for ICLs and other premium services. For example, Clearwave’s registration platform allows you to present custom questions during check-in for patients who fit specific demographics, like individuals who wear glasses or contact lenses and are between the ages of 18-45.  

During check-in, they can be presented with a question like, “Would you be interested in learning about long-term vision correction alternatives to glasses or contacts?” 

This approach is already leading to increased ophthalmologist revenue. Using this free tactic, Thomas Eye Group added $400,000 in new premium service revenue, while reducing advertising costs by $5,000 per month. This article on adding custom questions to check-in covers the approach in more detail!

2. 24/7 Online Scheduling for ICL Consults

Patient marketing campaigns providing lackluster results? Many practices are finding out that the issue isn’t necessarily their marketing efforts, but it’s actually their scheduling approach. This quick clip covers how request- and phone-only scheduling can cause practices to lose prospective patients, fast.  

Kristen Bryant, SVP of Marketing and Revenue Operations at Clearwave, shares more actionable tips on boosting acquisition, with lower marketing spend in this on-demand webinar on, Top Priorities for Healthcare Leaders. 

Patients researching ICL procedures often do so outside of business hours. If they can’t book immediately, many move on to the next option in their search browser. With real-time scheduling, practices can enable direct appointment booking, anytime and from any device. 

Self-scheduling not only helps your practice compete, but it also saves staff up to 1,500 hours per year, simply by migrating a portion of phone traffic online. Marietta Eye Clinic is a great example of the competitive and operational benefits ophthalmology practices can see from intelligent online scheduling. The practice made online scheduling work for them, even with 13 locations and thousands of patients coming in every month for all types of vision services, from routine eye exams to complex implant surgery.  

Marietta Eye Clinic’s Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, Dustin Bostwick, shared, “Patients really do like the ability to book appointments in real time. Other practices may say they offer something like this, but it’s really just a form. Request-only scheduling doesn’t solve the staffing problem; it just creates more work on the back end, and it’s frustrating for patients to wait to be called back. I am glad we can offer our patients a scheduling tool that they find helpful!”  

Offering the best online scheduling matters for patients, practices and providers. Bostwick continues, “I’ve seen what other vendors offer and they just don’t have the level of customization that Clearwave provides, which is what we truly need. Being a part of the initial implementation of Clearwave, I can easily see that while other vendors may offer some options, their tools simply won’t stand up to what we have today.”  

Dive deeper into Mariette Eye Clinic’s success to see how you can emulate their results.

3. Analysis of Top-Converting Channels

Pinpoint your top-performing marketing channels so you can prioritize your marketing dollars accordingly. By tying booked appointments to their source, practices can: 

• Double down on high-performing channels 

• Cut spend from underperformers 

• Optimize messaging for increased conversions 

Ophthalmology practices are combining the power of Clearwave and SocialClimb to simplify this step. Leaders can use the Scheduling Analytics Dashboard to gain a clear view of appointment data, enabling practices to track appointment conversions and measure success by channel. This data helps maximize every marketing dollar—especially important for competitive services like ICL.  

With a smart marketing dashboard, tied to their scheduling tool, practices are already: 

• Speeding up ROI reporting and calculations  

• Easily pinpointing top-converting marketing channels  

• Calculating new patient acquisition rates 

From click to care, see how practices are using SocialClimb and Clearwave to increase patient acquisition at lower costs. 

Position Your Ophthalmology Practice for ICL Growth

As LASIK trends fluctuate and ICL gains traction, ophthalmology practices that act now can increase premium service interest and profits. Leaders are already seeing success by: 

• Targeting high-value patients from marketing to check-in 

• Embracing digital access with smart, self-scheduling 

• Using analytics to guide their marketing strategies 

Clearwave empowers practices with all three—helping you modernize patient acquisition and increase premium procedure revenue. Want to learn how Clearwave can support your ICL growth strategy? Let’s talk.