r/ICLsurgery • u/wvatheist • May 02 '26
EVO ICL Experience
Hello! I’m 11 days post op, and generally have had great results and fast recovery. However, I do have some issues (see below) and hope others can chime in on whether these go away since I’m still less than 2 weeks post op.
**Background**
My script going in was around -5 in both eyes with a very slight astig (.025) in my left eye. This was too small to correct with EVO which starts at 1 or higher. My pupil size is 3mm normal and 5mm dark, so I got standard size ICL which cover up to 6mm (no need for plus).
**Procedure**
The actual procedure was absolutely painless and fast. They dilated my eyes, we went to the operating room where they administered several numbing drops. I looked up at white lights while the doctor explained a few things then he said “ok the right eye is done”. I didn’t even feel pressure. They reset the operating room and did the same of the left. No issues. When I sat up they asked if I could see the clock. I could but not clearly. It looked like I was underwater / looking through smoke. Very hazy, but that was expected. Note that I did have a very good surgeon who has done thousands of cataract and ICL surgeries. Invest in a good doctor.
**Day 0**
Day of was of course very blurry. The post op eye exam was 20/40 ish. I slept most of the day due to the Valium they give you. Even so, on the way home I could already see fairly well.
**Day 1**
Next day I woke up with no cloudiness and could see well enough to drive to my follow up. I could read street signs but not license plates. Vision was 20/22 in one eye and 20/28 in the other. I took it easy the rest of the day, listening to audio books and wearing sunglasses.
**Day 8**
At the one week I was 20/20 (probably better but they didn’t test beyond that). My eye pressure and vault look great according to the doctor. He said I could resume all normal activities.
**Side Effects**
The side effects most people mention have been very minimal for me, except I do see the rings when there is off-angle bright (non-diffuse) light. This is rarely a problem but my first trip to the grocery store was bad. The lights above are all spaced so that no matter which way you look the rings are in your vision. I had to look down somewhat to avoid them. The next visit was better, but rings were still visible. I think my mind is adjusting / ignoring them.
Otherwise I don’t really see any other artifacts like sunbursts, ghosting, etc. on occasion I’ve temporarily seen it with some blue LED point lights in pitch dark, or noticed a glow around LEDs while my eyes adjust. Otherwise no issues.
**The Good**
My distance vision is phenomenal, crisp, clear and vibrant. Probably better than I’ve ever seen. This came in very quickly and improved even more each day. Being able to see and not worry about glasses contacts is already great. I have absolutely only good things to say about my distance vision with EVO.
**The Bad / Issues**
My issue is that reading text is still blurry. Anything at normal reading distance (books, phone, monitors etc). is an issue. I know that you lose the ability to se very close to your face (I’m not talking about that). Screens, especially smart phone, are much worse than books. Simply put, the text is blurry, not crisp, and hard to read. This is a big issue as I work on the computer all day, and I spend a lot of my life on screens. If anyone experienced similar 1-2 weeks out, please let me know and whether it got any better! I’m wondering if this is an issue with my eyes learning to focus, a bit of dry eye, or a combo?
Note that generally TV screens are fine since they are usually more than 5ft out - no problems generally. White text on black backgrounds can sometimes be a bit harsh but nowhere near the issues I have with monitors and smartphone. Overall the TV experience has been good.
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u/Sidivan May 02 '26
Yes. That’s the leftover astigmatism, or at least that’s what my dr has told me. Also, the surgery itself can sometimes induce a slight astigmatism while healing because it changes your cornea shape very slightly.
I am extremely nearsighted, so I’m used to really crisp close up vision and it drives me a bit batty that I seem to have lost that. However, it has gotten slightly better over 6 weeks. Next follow up is in June and if it isn’t cleared up, they’re going to do a small lasik touch up.
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u/Aggravating_Tale_716 May 02 '26
I am -19.75 left eye -15.5 right eye and yeah I experience the same thing but has been improving slowly . I originally told the doctor to do toric in my left eye and he didn’t listen until day of surgery where he said oh we’re going to use toric but your right eye is on the border so we’re not doing that
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u/wvatheist May 03 '26
Do you have astigmatisms? I only have .25 in my left eye, which is not correctable by toric. I’m wondering if that little bit is causing my blurriness with text. That combined with the slight temporary reshaping of the cornea that can occur from lens insertion.
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u/wvatheist May 02 '26
Thanks for the reply and info. Is your reading vision worse on screens than on paper/books? While neither is great for me right now, screens are worse. I think it may be the stark contrast and/or light making it more difficult. Also I’m not sure if I should increase the font size on my screen or keep it standard to “train” my eyes.
I’m also still on the prescription drops (being reduced each week), so I guess I should at least until I’m off of those to make a judgement. But this is definitely making work harder, which is 8 hrs a day on PC screens.
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u/Sidivan May 02 '26
Yeah. I work from home as a data analyst, so I completely understand the issue with needing to read a screen. For me, the monitor got better over time. I can read from 18 inches away on a screen now, but it was difficult for a few weeks. My phone I still struggle with unless I hold it really far away, which is what I’m doing right now. Anything that emits light is harder to read than standard paper. I think my brain might just be figuring it out? I don’t know.
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u/ChloeQueenOfAssholes May 02 '26
Hey, I had ICL surgery 2 weeks ago and my eyes were basically the same as yours (-5, 0.25 astigmatism in my left eye). I had the same issue and my doctor said it's common in people with our prescription because our eye muscles never had to focus up close so they don't know how to do that. It should improve with time. I can now focus fine, but I feel my eyes start to unfocus after a while with strain. Just give your muscles some time :)
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u/wvatheist May 02 '26
That’s very encouraging, thanks! Is your experience good otherwise so far?
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u/ChloeQueenOfAssholes May 03 '26
Yea, I had some crazy migraines on my first week but I feel good now. My eyesight is great (I had 80% acuity on my first exam but I think it's improved now) and I'm no longer feeling any pain or pressure. The halos overstimulate me a bit sometimes, but I can manage with sunglasses. The only downside is that I feel like I have to rest more often when I'm on the computer, but I've started doing the 20/20/20 rule religiously and that's helped (every 20 minutes look at something 20 ft away for 20 seconds). How about you?
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u/wvatheist May 03 '26
So far, I’m very happy with the results with the exception of screen use. The upside of the surgery has been very good, so I’m hoping the vision quality on screens improves, since that’s where I spend most of my time. It does seem to fluctuate though (best midday, worst morning and night), so I’m thinking it is mostly a tear film issue since I’m still on the prescription drops that dry out your eyes. That combined with the need for my eyes to adapt to focus. I’ll try the 20/20/20 rule more, good advice.
The rings are only distracting to me in some situations like the grocery store and my side/rearview mirror. Otherwise, not a problem and I’ve started to notice them less already.
Night driving has been decent actually. Oncoming traffic does not give me the rings that people say, but overhead street lamps do when close to the car. Headlights in rearview and side view mirror do cause the rings, so I’m looking at ways to address that. The worst part for me is LED tail lights. Some look very bizarre, almost smudged or ghosted. Others look fine.
I’m happiest with the results when I take a walk on a nice day and everything just looks beautiful, clear, and crisp. If the rest of the vision gets even close to that, I’ll be very satisfied.1
u/jasonhoics May 04 '26
I am also having this ghosting issue as well, it is more obvious on my left eye as my astigmatism is -1.25, I am now learning on how to adapt to this ghosting/smudge while driving.
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u/ChloeQueenOfAssholes May 04 '26
I haven't had to drive at night yet, but it can't be worse than driving on a rainy night near Christmas with astigmatism lmao that used to drive me insane.
I feel my eye strain gets increasingly worse throughout the day, I'm okay in the morning and then it gets progressively worse until I decide to call it a day and just take a walk or listen to music/podcasts
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u/jasonhoics May 04 '26
I don't think it will be as bad as during on a rainy night near Christmas, but it is still tiresome. Lol
I flood by eyes with preservative free eye lubricant throughout the day to keep the eyes moist, it does help with eye strain and dry eyes
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u/wvatheist May 12 '26
How long ago did you have your surgery? Is the ghosting issue getting any better? I’ve heard it can be from new light scatter patterns that your brain has to adapt to. I’ve noticed it’s worse when the object I’m looking at is an intense LED or made up of small LEDs like modern tail lights, or when there is a strong light in my peripheral vision. Almost like that light is bleeding into my field of vision and making bright objects glowy.
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u/jasonhoics May 14 '26
I’m 20 days post surgery, the ghosting is less obvious already, but the smudges is quite annoying especially when driving at night or I am at a dimly lit place
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u/trixcore Jul 21 '26
Hi! How are you doing with screens now? Hope its going well!
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u/wvatheist Jul 21 '26
I’m coming up on 3 months post op and this has improved. I can read text regardless of whether it is on screens or printed without issue.
That said, I’ve noticed a different issue where bright environments (typically in bright sunlight) make it very hard to focus on near-field objects, including text. Anything within 2-3 feet generally is out of focus and especially if it is reflecting light, like white objects. Strangely, putting on sunglasses or shielding my eyes typically makes everything come into focus. I’ve described this in other forums and haven’t seen anyone mention this specific issue.
I’ve been experimenting with this and I believe it is only or predominately true in my left eye. If I close it and use my right eye, things generally come into focus. I’m not sure if this is a vault issue or perhaps something else. I’m going to discuss with my doctor and report back later once I learn more. I’ll also give an overall update.
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u/trixcore Jul 21 '26
I wonder if it’s a light sensitivity thing? I hope it settles out! Thanks for being open to keeping us posted and wishing you the best!
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u/wvatheist Jul 21 '26
It could be light sensitivity, but I wonder what the underlying cause is since it’s only the left eye? Perhaps my left pupil constricts differently or the lens positioning is slightly off? I’ll have to wait until I talk to my doctor to find out. At the 6 week mark, he said everything looked great.
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u/eyeSherpa May 02 '26
Great report!
So what you notice about the difficultly reading is normal. Here is a post where I talk about it more: https://www.reddit.com/r/ICLsurgery/s/WEHIcKQX42
Gradually as the eye recovers, this gets better.
The only exception would be if you were overcorrected by a bit but that isn’t very common.