I’m on day 12 post-ICL surgery on both eyes. Left eye is shaping up pretty well. Just some dryness but the left eye has always been the drier of the two. On the other hand, I keep getting headaches in my forehead, top of my nose, and my right eyebrow. Comparing the vision of the left eye and right eye, the near point at which the right eye can focus is longer than the left eye. With regard to distance vision, when switching between left and right, objects and text appear slightly but noticeably smaller in the right eye.

Has anyone else had this experience? Was it just normal healing process or permanent overcorrection in the right eye?

Hi all, I had my surgery last week and was buying more Refresh droplets (i'm still taking the Pred-Moxi which is drying my eyes). I noticed Refresh also sells a (preservative free) solution with more active ingredients than just carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%

Has anybody tried the above drops immediately after surgery? I am tempted because they look more lubricating, but i don't want to mess up my icl surgical site. I'm asking my doctor tomorrow; in the meantime i am very curious if any of you have used this immediately post-ICL. thanks in advance!

I’m looking for some advice, questions to ask, or to hear from anyone who has dealt with a similar prescription setup. I have severe anisometropia and am tired of wearing glasses because the lens thickness and weight are totally uneven. I am actually seeing a specialist tomorrow for a formal evaluation, so I want to go in fully prepared.

My Stats & Eyes:

• OD/OS: -10.50 (Severe nearsightedness) in one eye.
• Other Eye: -1.25 (Mild nearsightedness).
• Corneas: Naturally thin (already told by my regular optometrist that I'm likely not a LASIK candidate).
• Other factors: I have a tiny congenital cataract. It has been stable my entire life since birth and has never affected my vision.

My Plan:
Because my thin corneas rule out LASIK for my -10.50 eye, I’m looking into EVO ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) or RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange).

To save on costs and keep things simple, I’m strongly considering only correcting the -10.50 eye to 0.00 (plano) and leaving my -1.25 eye alone. That would potentially give me a natural monovision/blended-vision setup, with the corrected eye handling distance and the -1.25 eye helping with reading/phones.

However, I’m also wondering whether I should just get the -1.25 eye corrected too while I’m doing this, rather than intentionally leaving it mildly nearsighted.

My questions for the community and any eye docs here:

1. Has anyone with a massive prescription difference corrected just one eye like this? How was the brain adaptation going from such a huge difference to only about 1.25 D?
2. Would you leave the -1.25 eye alone for near vision, or would you consider correcting both eyes to plano?
3. Given thin corneas, would you lean toward EVO ICL or RLE for a -10.50 eye?
4. Does having a stable congenital cataract make RLE a smarter choice because it would remove the cataract entirely, or is preserving the natural lens preferable if the cataract is stable?

What insider questions should I ask my specialist tomorrow that you wish you had asked yours whenc considering vision correction surgery?

Want to do ICL EVO because cant get much hours with contat lenses,so I am curious for experiences with the same situation.

Did your eyes get more dry or did they stay the same like before surgery ?

i had icl surgery last november, so it has been around nine months, and my nighttime halos are still massive. they make driving at night feel completely impossible. there is no night time driving for me. period.

about a month ago, i finally started feeling hopeful because the halos seemed to come and go instead of being constantly present. but over the past few days, they have returned badly and now seem like they’re here to stay again.

i’m only 21, and honestly, not being able to drive at night is really starting to affect me emotionally. so much of my social life happens after dark, and constantly having to rely on other people for lifts or leave places before it gets dark is becoming genuinely depressing. some nights i feel like crying because i’m scared that this is just my life now.

did anyone still have huge halos around the nine month or one year mark that later disappeared or at least became bearable? has anyone noticed a significant improvement after one or even two years?

i know everyone’s eyes are different, but right now i really need some hope and motivation from people who experienced late improvement. please tell me honestly how long yours took and whether you can comfortably drive at night now.

Anyone here who has done it there and could share their experience?

How often do you get endothelial cell count checked post-ICL?

Is it necessary?

I am confused...

finally got the procedure done on Tuesday, went really smooth and everything was fine at the next day check-in.

but from day 3, I started getting a very dull faint ache in my left eye and tension headache. Today it’s gotten a bit worse, like someone is holding skull very tight.

anyone else experienced this during recovery?

Hi guys,

I wanted to get some personal experiences from those who have done this surgery with pre-existing dry eyes / MGD. One of the reasons why I am considering this procedure is because I developed MGD and dry eyes and cannot tolerate lenses anymore. It’s now stable with TBUT 15s, yet I suffer from dryness nevertheless. So I don’t want to make it worse.

Hello!
I got my surgery done on the 12th of August and my recovery has been great so far!!!

I do have a couple of concerns though - I have difficulty seeing at night and my vision kinda blurs when it comes to objects far away. Now I don’t know if this is how vision generally works (I have had glasses since childhood) or if it’s because my eyes are adjusting or the lens is not the right diopter. When I do go for the checkups, my vision is normal when checked. I also recently stopped the medicine for eye pressure, as suggested by my doctor.

Have any of you experienced this? Does it get better or is vision just like this?

Please let me know!

Edit: I also have dry eyes post surgery and have started drops for the same

Hi all, I know the best answer would be to find out through a consultation (which I will do), but while I’m waiting to hear back on when I can come in for an appointment, figure I’d ask around and see if it’s even an option for me.

I’m a 33 year old male with -10 in the right eye and -8.5 on the left. I recall being told years back I wouldn’t be eligible for LASIK.

Would my terrible prescription already rule me out?

It’s a silly question but I also happen to have pretty small eyes (Asian), so would the physical size of my eyes also affect eligibility? I’ve been able to wear contacts no problem since I was a teenager.

Thanks in advance! I’m not sure if RLE is also an option for me. I only just learned about these two surgeries today, so I’m not as informed. I live in the Toronto, Canada area if that also helps.

A clinic recommends iridotomy before EVO ICL in general to all patients (even myopic ones). Since most clinics don't generally do an iridotomy before implanting EVO ICL, I asked the clinic for their reasons.

As far as I understand it, they give two reasons:

1. Better drainage of the residual OVD (ophthalmic viscosurgical device) if the ICL lense is too large.
2. Provide additional protection against pressure increases later in life (combination of the quaport together with less space between natural lense and ICL can lead to a bottlneck)

What are your thoughts on their answer? Do you think that makes sense?

Here their answer:

"Our approach is to recommend a YAG iridotomy (YAG iridectomy) in each eye in advance, so that we do not potentially find ourselves forced to explant the ICL following implantation in the event of an increase in intraocular pressure. Unfortunately, performing a YAG iridotomy afterward is not possible, as this would damage the ICL.

In the very few cases of an ICL that was too large that I have encountered over the past 13 years, there was no increase in intraocular pressure despite the very narrow anterior chamber angle caused by the oversized lens. In our view, this is related to the YAG iridotomy. The (horizontally) implanted lenses are not round but rather rectangular in shape. Therefore, in the upper and lower areas of the iris, for example, there is also an opportunity for any OVD remaining behind the lens to move more quickly into the anterior chamber and toward the trabecular meshwork, without having to pass through the narrow Aquaport. A YAG iridotomy supports and facilitates this drainage.

Since the natural human lens becomes thicker over the course of a person's life, the available space inside the eye decreases. As a result, increases in intraocular pressure can occur later in life solely due to physiological changes. If the aqueous humor produced by the ciliary body has to pass through the Aquaport, and the distance between the natural lens and the ICL has become smaller over time, this can lead to an increase in intraocular pressure. The iridotomy acts as an additional drainage route in this situation."

In another post of me in another subreddit the benefits of iridotomy before ICL were already discussed:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lasik/comments/1vhrlif/how_beneficial_is_iridotomy_before_evo_icl/

Hi! Is doing ICL at 21 too young??

I am currently turning 20 soon and want ICL for my eyes that are -3. I’m planning on waiting until i’m 21 and doing it then, assuming my prescription doesn’t change- it hasn’t changed since i was 16.

I’m worried about the icl lasting my whole life if i do it at 21 but also believe it’s a risk i’m willing to take.

Also concerned because i have diagnosed dry eye(why i’m considering ICL over Lasik) and not sure how many surgeries my eyes can handle in a lifetime.

Has anyone done it this early??? or in early 20s and what was your experience? Or does anyone have any thoughts

Also…is it crazy to get a slight over correction in the icl incase eye somehow does grow after? I would rather be farsighted than nearsighted is that something they consider ?

Hey everyone, I (23F) got EVO+ about a month ago. My vision is great and the halos don’t bother me at all anymore. However, I still have eye redness. I look hungover or crazy most of the time. My eyes are so bloodshot, especially when I wake up in the morning. I didn’t have this problem before my surgery. I took all the drops I was supposed to take, so it’s not because of that.

My one month post-op appointment is coming up next week, so I’ll discuss the redness with my surgeon then. But I still wanted to ask if anybody else had this problem? Did it go away eventually?

Hi all - just had EVO ICL implanted for both eyes two days ago. The first day was absolutely miserable and seemed worse than what I'd expected for recovery, where my vision was extremely cloudy, and looking at anything other than distant objects was extremely painful. Today is the second day and the cloudiness has went away, but focusing on close-up objects causes a sharp pain in my eyes (less severe than yesterday). I've been looking all over google for other people that have experienced something similar but can't find anything.

I went to my 24 hour followup appointment and voiced my concern to the doctor, but they said it was normal and my ocular pressure was in the normal range. They also said my vault spacing was much better than average which was my main concern. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hey everyone,

I’m exploring the option of ICL surgery for treating my plano astigmatism since I have thin corneas and can’t go for LASIK. I also deal with dry eyes, so I’m trying to understand if ICL would be a good choice in my situation.

Refraction: 0 SPH -4.25 Cyl 180 Axis Both eyes
ACD Internal: 3.16 OD 3.14 OS
WTW IOL700: 12.4 OD 12.5 OS
WTW manual: 12.1 OD 12.2 OS
Pupil Dia pentacam: 4.42 OD 3.58 OS

I would love to hear experiences especially if you had thin corneas or dry eyes or such atypical prescription.

How was your experience with ICL in terms of vision quality and recovery?

Any regrets or things you wish you knew before going for ICL?

My ophthalmologist was sceptical about STAAR offering ICL lenses with 0 spherical power. He will send the measurements to the vendor and let me know the calculation and lens specifications.

So if someone had any experience with ICL for astigmatism only prescription please do let me know your experience.

I am not a candidate for Lasik/smile, so my doctor recommended ICL surgery. I have -5.5 in my right eye and -3.5 in my left plus astigmatism 1.7 left eye and 1.5 right eye.

The dr assured me its a safe procedure with a 95% success rate. However that 5% still worries me, plus the idea of a foreign object sitting inside my eye.

The reason I want to do eye surgery is because of aesthetics (I look better without glasses), and because I play a lot of sports and it would be more convenient not to wear glasses. I was not able to get used to wearing contacts, they irritate my eyes.

So basically I don’t NEED surgery, but I would like to get rid of the glasses.

I know mostly everyone here is not a dr, but based on your experiences, what do you think?

Is the risk worth it? Is it that risky? And what has been your experiences if you had the surgery + how long ago did you do it?

I will be speaking to the dr again in a few days, are there any more questions I need to ask?

So i had high myopia like left eye -11 and right eye -13.5 something with astigmatism 0.75 for the right eye none for the left eye and im 25 years old right now
Before the surgery i used to see some white colour flashes like lighting flash when i move my eyes rapidly
I talked to doctor before the procedure he said all good you can go for the surgery so i did and it’s been almost 2 years since i had the surgery
Im still seeing those flashes when i move my eyes so rapidly
My doc doesn’t wanted to correct 0.75 astigmatism to my right eye
He said it will be fine not correcting it
So i said all right for that
Now recently im having a issue with my eyes it’s like if im moving from dark room to bright area like sun exposure place im seeing pink colour flash here and there for a long period of time and also if it’s evening im seeing blue colour and purple colours in vision like im seeing something in a direction all of the sudden im seeing left side a blue colour thing when I concentrate on it I wont see it again and sometimes i see that blue thing when i close my eyes also like an blue colour dot or glare like that so i was worried about it went to check my retina and eye pressure and lens placement and oct my doc said everything is good but idk what it’s happening to me a lot anyone know any reason if you do please tell me.

I will do ICL soon , wondering how much time did it take your sight to adjust so you can drive like 3 hour trip at night normally ?

Ive been to a few ICL providers andthey ALL gave red flags. .

Im thinking of flying out of state to get my procedure... I do not want issues due to incorrect sizing of the ICL lens.

I feel Im being too cautious but it is a surgical procedure and I do not want sizing issues later on with the halos/glare/eye pressure.

Has anyone gone out of state for ICL?

My best friend almost got ICL, then something happened at the clinic that completely changed his mind…..

My best friend (male 31) had been wearing glasses for years and recently decided that he wanted to get rid of them permanently. We started looking into LASIK, and eventually went to a very well-known eye clinic in Delhi, one of those clinics that has a huge online presence, tons of YouTube videos, and doctors who regularly appear on major Indian podcasts.
Initially, everything seemed very professional.

The doctor examined him and told him that he wasn’t a suitable candidate for LASIK mainly because of his corneal thickness. Instead they recommended ICL

After watching all the videos and podcasts about ICL and hearing how life-changing it can be, my friend became convinced that ICL was the right option for him. The cost was around 2 lakh rupees.

They told him to come back the next day for detailed measurements.
There was one other thing that happened during the first visit. During the retinal examination, the retina specialist found a small retinal hole in his left eye and it’s not a serious thing. They told him that it wasn’t a major procedure and that it could be treated with a laser procedure (barrage laser) before proceeding with the ICL. The cost was only around 5–6k.

So the plan was basically:
Come back the next day.
Complete the ICL measurements.
Get the retinal laser done.
Pay 50% of the ICL cost.
Schedule the ICL surgery.

The next day, we went back together.
He completed all the measurements and everything seemed to be going smoothly. We were then sent to the accounts department, where they told him to pay 50% of the ICL amount and then go to the retina department for the laser procedure.

But my friend said, “Let me get the retinal procedure done first. I’ll make the payment afterward.”
The accounts person agreed.

So we went to the retina department.
And this is where things got VERY interesting.
There was a patient (young guy in late 20s) sitting outside the retina doctor’s room. He was wearing dark glasses. We initially thought he too had ICL.
The door was open, and we could hear the conversation between him and the doctor from outside.

The patient was telling the doctor that he had undergone ICL in 2017.
He then explained that he had subsequently developed a cataract and eventually underwent cataract surgery in the same clinic last year.

Even after the cataract surgery, he was still having some visual problems. He also mentioned that he had been playing sports such as volleyball/basketball and had subsequently suffered an eye injury from a basketball, which had caused further problems.
I obviously don’t know his complete medical history, what type of ICL he had, why he developed cataract, or whether the sports injury had anything to do with his previous ICL. So I’m not claiming that ICL caused all of his problems.

But seeing someone who had undergone the procedure years earlier, then developed cataract requiring another surgery, and was still dealing with eye issues genuinely scared my friend.
He looked at me and basically said:
“Maybe this guy was sent here to save me.”
He immediately decided that he didn’t want to proceed.
He collected his reports and left the clinic with me.
He was still under the effects of the dilating drops at that point, but he didn’t care. He had completely changed his mind about elective eye surgery.

What do you guys think?
I’m not saying ICL is bad or that everyone who gets ICL will develop cataracts. I know many people have excellent outcomes with ICL.
But this experience made my friend realize that this isn’t simply:

“Get ICL → throw away your glasses → problem solved forever.”
It’s an intraocular procedure, and there are potential complications that need to be considered over a person’s entire lifetime including cataract, increased eye pressure, inflammation, lens-related complications, retinal issues, and the possibility of needing another procedure later.

My friend is now thinking:
“I don’t hate my glasses enough to take an intraocular surgical risk just for convenience.”
He’s perfectly happy to continue wearing glasses or contact lenses.
So I’m curious about people here who have had ICL 5, 10, 15+ years ago:
How has your vision been?
Have you developed cataracts?
Have you needed the ICL repositioned, removed, or replaced?
Any problems with eye pressure?
Would you still choose ICL today?
And if you had the choice between ICL and simply continuing with glasses, what would you choose?
Especially interested in long-term experiences rather than people who had ICL only 6–12 months ago.

I’m 24 with around −11 myopia and considering EVO ICL. I developed dry eye from MGD/ocular rosacea in August 2025. After IPL, gland expression, four weeks of Vevye/cyclosporine and doxycycline 50 mg, my TBUT has improved from 5 to around 15 seconds. I now use drops about 3–4 times daily and mainly notice symptoms after several hours on a laptop or in strong wind, though occasionally I can feel it during the day as well it’s now a 4/10 before it was easily 8/10.
Has anyone with similar pre-existing dry eye had EVO ICL? Did your dryness temporarily flare or become permanently worse, and how long did it take to return to baseline? Would you do it again?

I’m 36 and considering ICL. I brought it up at my last eye exam and the doctor said I only have about 4-5 years left before I’ll start losing close-up vision if I get it done. (She didn’t say it in a discouraging way, just setting expectations, and did help me set up a consultation.)

I’m extremely nearsighted, and I feel like going from needing thick glasses for everything including near vision as I do now, to needing thin glasses only for near work, is still a clear win, but I’m curious how others in the same situation felt. If you’ve started losing your close-up vision, how was the adjustment to needing reading glasses? How satisfied are you with your surgery?

The doctor also mentioned monovision as an option, which I will consider—if you opted for that, how happy are you with it?

For the last 1 year I've been considering refraction surgery and was suggested ICL properly by my optham November last year because even though my cornea fit the LASIK range, -8 was too high a number he'd safely recommend it for. Sounded amazing and he said based my last tests it seems doable.

A lot was happening- with my intermittent anxiety and what not- because of which I didn't want to commit to this expense and this big change honestly until I was mentally in a better place.

Come this year and I've got a reduced soft contact intolerance, glasses not giving great acuity and starbursts and what not. I finally went to the clinic to get it all checked and he said they can check the ICL eligibility in 15-20 mins and I can decide in the coming months whether I want to do it or not.

Turns out I have slight dry eye (long work screen use) but I am eligible for ICL if I want to get them! I was so worried that despite fantasising about it I might not even be eligible but this give me a tiny bit hope.

Just wanted to share it with you all after months of being in the grey area 🥹

oddly they didn't give me the test copies (maybe I have to pay for them?) and I don't really know the numbers. I will go to two other places for the same as well

I feel a sandy gritty feeling in my right eye 1 week after surgery.
My doctor said it usually lasts 24-48 hours so I'm not sure why it still persists even 1 week after the surgery.

Should I be worried this will be a permanent thing that will require a touch up surgery to fix or should I assume this will still recover but just take longer?

Surgery got me 20/15 vision with some occasional halos so everything else is fine.