Survey on Awareness of Implantable Contact Lenses (Phakic Posterior Chamber Lenses) Among Men and Women in Their 20s-40s with Vision of 0.1 or Less

At Working Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: WORK VILLA MYJ kanda 5F, 1-4 Kanda-Ogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), which sells the 'IPCL®' approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in April 2025, has conducted a survey on implantable contact lenses targeting men and women in their 20s to 40s nationwide.

IPCL is a treatment method known as an 'implantable contact lens' that corrects myopia and astigmatism by inserting a small lens into the eye. It uses an acrylic polymer material primarily composed of HEMA, which is widely used in intraocular lenses for cataracts and contact lenses. Unlike LASIK, it does not involve shaving the cornea, making it a highly reversible treatment as the lens can be removed in the future. In Japan, it obtained regulatory approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in April 2025 after multicenter clinical trials and was launched in September of the same year.

In recent years, options for vision correction have diversified, and interest in surgical corrections like LASIK and implantable contact lenses has been increasing. According to data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, contact lens users in Japan span from young to middle-aged groups, with particularly high usage rates among those in their 20s and 40s. Against this backdrop, implantable contact lenses are gaining attention as a choice considering daily convenience, long-term costs, and future vision changes. On the other hand, the importance of a correct understanding of safety and risks is also pointed out. This survey was conducted via the internet to clarify the awareness and understanding of implantable contact lenses among men and women in their 20s to 40s with vision of 0.1 or less, based on these social circumstances.

Regarding the treatment method of implantable contact lenses, more than 70% (72.8%) of the survey subjects were aware of it, and about 70% (71.9%) were interested in it as a treatment method. The results showed a tendency for women in their 20s and 30s to be particularly interested. The reasons for the high interest were the 'inconvenience of glasses/contacts' and the burden of 'monthly contact lens costs'. As for the drawbacks of the treatment method, many cited 'fear of surgery' and 'safety'.

Q1. Awareness Survey
Q1. Did you know about the treatment method called implantable contact lenses?
When we surveyed people in their 20s to 40s with vision of 0.1 or less about the treatment of implantable contact lenses, 35.5% said they 'know about it', and 37.3% said they 'have heard the name'.
Combining these two, a total of 72.8% of the respondents have some form of awareness of implantable contact lenses, indicating that it has gained a certain level of recognition as a vision correction option.

Q2. Awareness Survey by Gender and Age
Q2. Awareness of implantable contact lenses by gender and age.
Among men and women in their 20s to 40s with vision of 0.1 or less, 44.0% of women in their 20s and 45.1% of women in their 30s answered that they 'know about it'.
Particularly for women in their 30s, the awareness rate reaches 86.5% when 'know about it' and 'have heard the name' are combined, the highest figure among all segments. It is presumed that this is influenced by their high frequency of contact with SNS and beauty information.
On the other hand, among men, the percentage of those who 'know about it' remained around 31-34% regardless of age, showing a difference in awareness compared to women.

Q3. Interest Survey in the Treatment
Q3. How interested are you in implantable contact lenses?
21.8% were 'very interested', and 50.1% were 'somewhat interested', resulting in a total of 71.9% of respondents showing interest.
Since the awareness rate (72.8%) and the interest rate (71.9%) are almost at the same level, it has become clear that most people who know about implantable contact lenses are also interested in the treatment.

Q4. Interest Survey by Gender and Age
Q4. Interest in implantable contact lenses by gender and age.
'Very interested' was high among women in their 30s (27.1%) and 20s (24.6%).
For women in their 20s and 30s, combining 'very interested' and 'somewhat interested' shows that over 70% (73.9% and 73.0% respectively) are interested.
On the other hand, while men in their 30s showed a relatively high figure for 'very interested' at 24.1%, the overall trend is lower than for women. Women in their 40s had the lowest 'very interested' rate at 15.0%, and their combined 'not very interested' and 'not at all interested' was also slightly higher than other segments at 12.8%, showing a tendency for interest to decline with age.

Q5. Reasons for Interest in Phakic Posterior Chamber Lenses
Q5. Why are you interested in implantable contact lenses?
'I feel the inconvenience of using glasses/contacts' was the most common reason at 74.6%, followed by 'The monthly cost of contact lenses becomes unnecessary...'