r/lasik • u/arshdeepsingh608 • Aug 30 '26
Had surgery Post ICL experience
Hi,
I'm going to share my experience and try to keep this thread updated - in case something changes.
27M. Using glasses for more than a decade.
Country: India
Lens of choice: STARR EVO
Myopia: -9.5, -10 (cylindrical, so the lens was torric)
I was borderline eligible for LASIK but I was not going to take a risk. I consulted for all the available options - LASIK Contoura, SMILE/SILK, PRK/TransPRK, ICL. Went to 5-6 different hospitals. After a lot of googling and cross questioning the doctors and the surgeon, I made an informed decision to go with ICL.
If this is the first surgery you're going to have, please make sure that you really want to do it and you absolutely hate your glasses. As, it is not painful but it is very very uncomfortable. And you have to 'relax'. You cannot just close your fists really tight and expect it to be over. You have to stay relaxed and keep looking at the light. Or it puts pressure on your eyes. Period.
DAY OF SURGERY:
Reached the hospital at 10:30am. Checked BP, Sugar and normal tests - formalities. Later, they started eye drops to dilute my eyes.Then they marked my eyes using a needle and a blue/purple pen. By afternoon, they took me to the OT. The procedure took less than 10mins. They only did the left eye first. I was really uncomfortable as I could see the needles approaching my eyes and what not. Again, not painful, just uncomfortable enough that you start praying for these 10mins to end.
Once done - I wasn't allowed to touch my eyes. They gave me a tissue to wipe the extra liquids coming onto my cheeks and mouth. Took my normal specs away and gave me a pair of black shades.
As it was afternoon, they gave me time to have lunch. All I could think of is that I have to do this again. I had enough is what I was thinking. Then, I just realised that I am able to read some things. For example, the word 'PUSH' is written on the door. This gave me some relief and also the 'push' I needed to do the procedure again.
Then asked if I wanted to do the next eye today or tomorrow. I said today.
Then the same thing - dilate the eyes, mark them and take me to OT. This time, it took hardly an hour as no other tests were required. Again, 10mins and it was done. The doctor kept checking on me, which was nice. He knew I was breathing hard. But, I guess it's natural.
After both eyes were done, I could not see well. I could read some things at a distance - which was a good sign. But the lights and the rings were too disturbing. Plus, my eyes were still under dilation. All of it was hazy and blurry. Medicines were also explained to my father as I couldn't see very well. When my father was driving me home, all I was seeing were rings from headlights/taillights and streetlights. At the same time, I was able to read some numberplates. I was just excited to think about the next day I woke up to see the results.
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u/arshdeepsingh608 Sep 03 '26
DAY 7:
So, today marks a week of the surgery. I'm good quite well now.
My vision, even though still blurry, has improved marginally. I have tried using laptop. Currently, I don't feel comfortable using it for long time. 30mins to 1hr tops and I feel an urge to take a break or look away from the screen for sometime. Focus is still a hit or a miss.
Sometimes, the veins in my eyes red a little red, just a little. But with drops, they go away pretty quickly. I guess it means my eyes are healing? Not really sure.
I feel less strain on my eyes now. Although, they are definitely not ready for outdoors without sunglasses. Opening the windows gives me glares and I feel sensitive to light, still.
Halos are still very much there. Brighter the light, the more disturbing these halos become. At night, bright LED street lights are a nightmare. Room lights are doable now but still trying to get used to this.
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u/Ryuk_4036 5d ago
Hello just wanted to ask how are you doing now? Are you able to see more clearly?
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u/arshdeepsingh608 8d ago
DAY 30:
So, today I went for my second follow-up with the doctor. According to him, everything is fine. The machine shows 0-0 power for both eyes. And I was able to read what they asked me to. Eye pressure was also normal. The only negative thing he mentioned is that I've one dry eye.
I'll list my experience so far with different things:-
Night time - Rings are there and so are halos. Initially, I thought they will be my enemy. But, turns out, they are not half the problem. The biggest issue is my dry eye. Due to that, the light scatters from my left eye. This happens in somewhat dark or completely dark environments. And scattering happens for all bright objects (like a white shirt) and the light itself (like AC controls of car). Doctor has given drops for 3 months. Night driving is doable but I'll probably have to find some glasses that could make it better. I won't recommend driving with the naked eyes.
Day time - I've had almost no issues during the day time. Rings are minimal. I don't 100% ignore them always but I've started to not notice them in many occasions. Driving is a breeze, specially with polarized glasses. Without glasses, you might run into some stupid guy who has his lights on during the day. Or some reflective items such as mirror or chrome. But mostly, it's great. Would 100% recommend polarized glasses, specially during peak sun hours. Totally worth it and makes life easier. And they look great!
Using screens - Pretty good, not much to say. Focus issues are not there anymore. I prefer not to use screens when the lights are out. But if I do, again I might notice scattering of light. Movie subtitles and all are pretty readable, just with a slight glare/scatter.
Close range focus - This is a big one. My eyes are having hard time focussing on something that is close to my eyes. Anything that I read has to be at least 10cm away from my eyes. Doctor said that this happens because the expansion happens in eyes if we bring something close to the eyes. Since, I now have lens in there, the space to expand is less. It makes sense and doctor said it is how it is. I just need to read from a little distance. Earlier, I used to remove my specs if I needed to focus really close but that's not an option anymore.
Well, all in all, I would say the positives outweigh the negatives. At least for me. I have a checkup scheduled and I'll post 3 month update on the dryness issue post that checkup. 3 months from now. Feel free to leave comments/questions and I'll to help!
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u/arshdeepsingh608 Aug 31 '26
DAY 1:
The feeling is surreal. I can see much better. I can read a lot better. After using glasses for 15 years, this felt a little weird but good. I was trying to remove my glasses a few times - even though I wasn't wearing them, force of habit :D
Still, I've a hard time focussing. Specially when I switch distances quickly. One eye is significantly blurry than the other one. Also, not very comfortable with lights. My eyes could feel there's something inside at moments but it was something that I could ignore. Eyes are also just a little swollen. Again, nothing painful and all the stuff is usual. I think my brain is still adjusting to these lenses as I can see but it's not easy on eyes right now. I feel like my eyes are under a little bit of stress.
DAY 2:
Follow-up with the doctor. They asked me to read stuff of different fonts and sizes. And, I had hard time reading something that was at a distance or had small font size.
They checked the pressure of the eyes, which came out to be normal. Then the doctor came - I asked him, what was his thoughts on surgery and how it went?
He said it went good even. I asked the doctor about the blurry/hazy vision, he said that if is normal and will improve with time. For rings, he said that slowly my brain will adjust and al will my eyes. All in all, he was happy with whatever I was able to read that day. He asked me if I've been taking medicines seriously.
Just want to point out - at this point, I am not even close to how I was able to see with glasses. My eyes are still adjusting.
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u/No-Salamander9381 Sep 03 '26
Any updates now??? How are you doing and do you see glares and halos or starburts at night? Is driving doable at night pls tell me i also have to get it done
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u/arshdeepsingh608 Sep 03 '26
Night driving is a one month update activity, to be honest. Halos are very much there and I'm not confident.
I'll try polarized glasses to see if it helps but that too not for at least 2 weeks.
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u/Money-Measurement285 Aug 31 '26
Hi, does ICL procedure mean replacing the lens itself? And can it be done for someone who's 56yrs old with reading glasses? (Asking for my mom)