EVO ICL™ Surgery for Los Angeles Patients

Many of the EVO ICL patients I see drive down from Los Angeles: the South Bay, Long Beach, the Westside, downtown, the San Gabriel Valley. They come to Newport Beach for one reason. They want the surgeon who evaluates them to be the surgeon who operates, who calls them that evening, and who sees them the next morning. That is how this practice has worked since 2001, and it is why a 45 to 75 minute drive is worth it to them.

This page covers what Los Angeles patients most often ask before making that drive: whether EVO ICL is likely to fit their eyes, what it costs, how the visits are organized so travel is minimal, and what to expect on the day.

Gregg Feinerman, MD, FACS, Feinerman Vision, Newport Beach

Why Los Angeles Patients Travel to Newport Beach for EVO ICL

One surgeon, start to finish. I personally perform every consultation, every EVO ICL procedure, and every follow-up. There is no hand-off to a rotating team and no outside provider for post-operative care. After surgery I ask every patient to save my cell phone number so they can reach me directly, at any time, with any question or concern.

Twenty years with the implantable collamer lens. I was the first surgeon in California to implant the Visian ICL after its 2005 FDA approval, and among the first in California with EVO ICL after its 2022 approval. More than 4 million implantable collamer lenses have been sold worldwide, and among patients studied, the implantable collamer lens carries a 99.4% satisfaction rate.

Precision sizing. Lens sizing is the step that separates a good EVO ICL result from a great one. We size with UBM AI™ ultrasound biomicroscopy and ICLguru® rather than estimating from surface measurements alone, and each lens is custom ordered for your eye.

Straight answers about candidacy. I evaluate every patient across every modern option: LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and EVO ICL. I personally perform LASIK, PRK, EVO ICL, and lens surgery. When a procedure we do not offer is the better fit, I say so.

Who May Be a Candidate for EVO ICL

EVO ICL is a Collamer® lens placed inside the eye, behind the iris, in front of the natural lens. It removes no corneal tissue, so it is often the better option for eyes that are not good LASIK candidates:

Thin corneas. Because nothing is removed from the cornea, corneal thickness is not a barrier. Read more: EVO ICL for thin corneas
High prescriptions. EVO ICL is FDA approved to treat nearsightedness from -3.00 to -20.00 diopters, with or without astigmatism, a range that LASIK cannot safely reach at the high end. Read more: EVO ICL for high prescriptions
Dry eye concerns. No flap is created and the corneal nerves are far less disrupted, so EVO ICL has a lower dry eye impact than LASIK.
Ages 21 to 60 with a stable prescription.

EVO ICL is also reversible. The lens can be removed or exchanged by a surgeon if your needs change, which preserves every future lens option, including the trifocal and extended-depth-of-focus lenses used in refractive lens exchange in Los Angeles and cataract surgery later in life. Prior LASIK, by contrast, usually narrows those later choices to a monofocal or the Light Adjustable Lens™.

Whether EVO ICL is right for your eyes is a decision made at the consultation, not from a web page. The candidacy quiz is a useful first step; it covers every procedure we evaluate, not just EVO ICL.

What EVO ICL Costs for Los Angeles Patients

EVO ICL at Feinerman Vision is $9,450 for both eyes, all-inclusive: the consultation and imaging, the lens, the procedure, and every post-operative visit with me. There is no separate facility fee and no surprise line item. Los Angeles patients pay the same price as Newport Beach patients.

Advertised prices elsewhere often exclude pre-operative testing, enhancements, and follow-up care, so ask what is included before comparing. Financing options and a full breakdown are on the EVO ICL cost page. Pricing is subject to change.

How We Organize Visits for Patients Driving from Los Angeles

We plan around your drive. A typical EVO ICL course for an LA patient looks like this:

Consultation and imaging (one visit, about 90 minutes). Full evaluation, UBM AI sizing, and a candid conversation about EVO ICL versus the alternatives. If EVO ICL is the right fit, your eyes are measured that day and a custom lens is ordered for each eye. Bring sunglasses and a driver; your eyes will be dilated.
Surgery day (one visit, a few weeks later). Once your lenses arrive, EVO ICL takes 10 to 15 minutes per eye, and both eyes are treated the same day. You will need a driver. I call you that evening.
Next-day visit (one visit). I see you myself the following morning. Most patients are seeing well enough to notice the difference by then, though vision continues to sharpen over the following days.
Follow-ups. Scheduled at intervals that suit your recovery, and clustered so patients coming from LA make as few trips as possible. What to expect week by week is on the procedure and recovery page.

Our office is at 320 Superior Ave, Suite 390, Newport Beach, just off the 55 and a few minutes from the 405. From the South Bay and Long Beach the drive is typically 30 to 45 minutes outside rush hour; from the Westside or downtown, 60 to 75 minutes.

EVO ICL Compared with LASIK

For eyes with a moderate, stable prescription and a healthy, adequately thick cornea, LASIK with WaveLight® Plus remains an excellent choice, and I perform it here. For thin corneas, high prescriptions, and patients with meaningful dry eye risk, EVO ICL is often the better option. The full comparison, including the reversibility question and what each procedure means for your lens options after 50, is on EVO ICL vs. LASIK. The complete EVO ICL overview lives on our EVO ICL page.

Book Your Evaluation with Dr. Feinerman

If you are in Los Angeles and considering EVO ICL, the most useful next step is an honest evaluation of your own eyes. Book your evaluation with Dr. Feinerman at (949) 631-4780 or through the form below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a Los Angeles office?

Our one office is in Newport Beach, and that is a deliberate choice. Dr. Feinerman keeps a single location so that he is there every day, personally seeing every patient at every visit, rather than dividing his time between offices. Being in one place is what lets him do your consultation, your surgery, and your follow-ups himself, and be reachable when you have a question. We are glad to help Los Angeles patients plan the drive and keep the number of trips small; most find that the surgeon they get makes it well worth it.

How many trips to Newport Beach does EVO ICL involve?

Usually a consultation visit, where your eyes are measured and your custom lenses are ordered; then, a few weeks later, surgery and a next-day check on consecutive days; then a small number of follow-up visits that we cluster to minimize travel.

Is EVO ICL reversible?

EVO ICL is reversible. The lens can be removed or exchanged by a surgeon if your needs change. That is one of its most important long-term benefits, because it keeps every future lens option open.

What if I am not a candidate for EVO ICL?

Then you will hear that directly from Dr. Feinerman, along with what he does recommend. He evaluates candidacy across LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and EVO ICL and performs LASIK, PRK, EVO ICL, and lens surgery himself.

Does the practice serve patients in languages other than English?

Yes. The practice serves patients in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Mandarin, and this website is available in all five languages through the language toggle.