Blog: My ICL Experience

Change of optometrist this year - still a clear 20/15 vision with good pressure. Narrowing of ICL relative to natural lens remains stable but close - recommended monitoring every 6 months instead of annually. Otherwise, all good!

Over a decade has passed and vision is still 20/20 with no new issues. The ICL continues to be narrow as previously reported (50 microns) and close to the natural lens but it isn’t getting worse each year - it’s stable. Found out from the doctor today that you can switch out the lens for a thinner, looser one to further reduce risk of cataracts - either preemptively or on first signs of symptoms. Didn’t know there was a solution! Not choosing this option yet as my eyes have been good so far so not going to do elective surgery for something that remains a risk and not an issue yet.  I’ve been hearing about the new ICLs which don’t require iridotomy so maybe this blog will make itself obsolete over time. Until then, I’ll try to remember to post annually for those that remain interested :) 

Quick update for you all: annual check-up went well again in my 9th year -- vault distance remains as narrow as last year -- a cataract risk, but still not an issue (yet)! They will continue to monitor over the next decade when cataracts & bifocals from aging simultaneously become a risk. Should the vault narrow to the point of an imminent cataract - the options will be to 1. remove the ICL & go back to glasses, or 2. accept the cataract formation & move through the needed cataract surgery to retain glasses-free vision. Something to think about for sure...

 Annual check-up went well again in my 8th year -- vault distance remains a cataract risk, but not an issue (and may never become an issue) -- pressure, eye health, etc. is otherwise all good, normal, and healthy! 

Been a while since I’ve posted. Saw my ophthalmologist today. Vision is still 20/20. The distance between my ICL and natural lens shrank from 112 microns to closer to 100 microns. Apparently 90 microns is when the risk factor becomes serious. So the doctor said nothing to worry about for now as  there may not be any changes in the future, but if things get worse we will look at options given the increased risk of early onset cataracts. Two options exist. First, an additional iridotomy-based procedure which I would not be a fan of given the white line glare issues I’ve already written about in the past here. Second would be swapping out the lens which would essentially involve another ICL procedure. Something to consider for future years — fingers crossed I don’t get there and the vault space stays where it is! Hope you’re all staying safe in this crazy year! :/ Overall, eyes have been great to date! I shall keep monitoring. 

It has been 5 years and almost 2 months since I elected to undergo ICL surgery. Went to the Ophthalmologist for my annual check up today and received the same good results. Pressure was 15 in both eyes, visual chart test indicated 20/20 vision in both eyes, and the space between the ICL and my natural lens hasn't changed since last year (phew!). I still fear early onset cataracts, but it seems like this fear can be allayed at least for now. These days, I don't think about/completely forget that I have ICLs -- I do have to actively force my eyes to look up and under harsh lighting in order to see faint iridotomy line glare. Since I don't really see them and don't have anything else going on to report, I haven't been updating this blog as much anymore. All is great and hope it remains so! Thank you for all your questions and inquiries Wishing you all good health - whatever you end up choosing or not choosing to do with your eyes. I will report back soon!

As I start into Year 5 of having ICLs, I get more concerned about early onset cataracts given what I've read and heard on the internet. Then again, it is the Internet. I'm hoping that I will be a lucky one. Saw an Ophthalmologist for my annual eye exam at a LASIK/ICL center in New York. This new doctor was not as thorough as the one I usually have and I will a) be following up with a retinal specialist and b) going back to my regular doctor next year (he seemed rushed like he needed to go somewhere). That being said, my results are good! 15/20 and 20/20 in each eye and pressure of 11 and 12, which is normal. I asked specifically about a concern that has been raised here and is high on my mind: the narrow(ing) vault in my left eye -- something that puts me at risk of developing early onset cataracts (as the ICL gets closer to touching the natural lens). The doctor said I have 150R and 124L. Vaults should be >100, so I am good, but the aim is usually for 200. So I'...

Template update: I'm on an everlasting quest for a cleaner, more functional Blogger template... Can't believe it has been 4 years now since I've had ICLs done. My life has truly been changed for the better -- however, I am very aware of the terrible potential side effects that folks have experienced. A quick glance at the numerous comments I have received over the years in each of my posts reflects this. I still maintain that it is a personal choice - one that you should take very seriously. I also strongly believe that people remain unaware - due to doctor salesmanship - of the very real side effect of the "white line glare." I haven't heard from many others like me who have a corneal tattoo yet, so do reach out if you have received it successfully (mine was not successful). For now, I am anxiously awaiting the risk of early onset cataracts. Despite the studies, I hope it doesn't happen to me! My next annual check up with my Ophthalmologist is May 201...

I went to see my Opthalmologist for my annual check up last week. 20/20 both eyes, which was great to hear, but unfortunately they told me the vault between my natural lens and my ICL on my left eye has narrowed. He said it's natural for the space to narrow as one ages, but that it is not a good thing obviously. However, there's still space -- so nothing to worry about. Just need to monitor annually. Not the greatest news, but nothing I can do right now to worry... Will provide another update next year. Hopefully it won't be worse!

Don't worry - you're in the right place. I just decided to change the template of this blog. I never really liked the older design -- this one is more clear. I know this blog would benefit from more photos, but I don't really have any to post! Scroll down for a chronological account of my ICL experience going back in time and look out for more updates in the future! [Hello from NYC!]

Saw an Ophthalmologist on March 5, 2015 and forgot to update this blog! Somehow my eyes have improved: 20/20 R (as usual) and 20/25 L (was 20/30 before)! I attribute this to having a different doctor down in the US...  in any case, great news! :)

I nearly forgot that it has been two years since I had the ICL procedure performed. Everything is the same - going very well. No regrets. I still get the white line glare -- but I rarely notice it. All is the same as previously reported. I'm scheduled to see an Ophthalmologist next week -- I don't imagine any earth shattering news. Seeing new doctors since I left my home city - so we'll see what they have to say! I guess one thing I've learned is that I want to find an optometrist - or preferably an Ophthalmologist - who knows something about ICLs. That is proving to be a challenge due to lack of information available in the search process (Zoc Doc, etc. usually says if the Dr. is a LASIK or PRK doc, but not if they know ICLs...we're still a rare breed I guess!).

Just had my eyes checked with my regular annual optometrist. Despite still having 20/20 right eye and a 20/30 left eye, she is recommending reading glasses. I'm not sure if this is a money making tactic, but I'm refusing at this point... I see fine, but I do notice the difference (improvement) with the sample glasses she provided to help me understand the difference. It's a minute one, but it's definitely there as someone who reads a lot. So no glasses for now - I'm holding out! It's too soon. haha. I'm not looking forward to bifocals, which will likely happen within the next 10+ years of my life! The weather has been beautiful & sunny - and I love putting on my Ray Bans everyday, instead of some terrible pre-ICL alternative (when I had glasses)!

Today marks exactly 1 year since I - and 2 others I met in the pre-surgery "green room" - signed our eyes away and let ourselves go under the knife. What a journey it has been - and one that I do not regret - despite the few tiny bumps & issues along the way. Though I will always fear early onset cataracts, the potential contraction of distance between the ICL and natural lens, [insert other risks] - these are worries that only time will tell. Thanks for the questions. Hope you all find your answers!

Went in for my final follow-up yesterday. I'm seeing 20/20 in my right eye still and 20/30 in my left eye. Again, I was offered corrective laser surgery to make it all 20/20, but together, I'm already seeing 20/20! Obviously I declined. I am still thinking about getting a second corneal tattoo - but the chances of actually following through are very minimal. My vision isn't perfect, but it's good. And compared to glasses: the full life experience has been fantastic. I continue to travel the world, live abroad and relish every moment being glasses free. Things are good - I just need to keep following up with my regular optometrist and hope none of the risks identified actually happen to me in the long-term. They measured the pressure in my eye (good) and also measured the distance between the ICL and my natural lens one final time - if anything doesn't look good (not enough space), they will give me a call. Otherwise, I'm done! That's all folks. Thanks for ...

Hello all. Thanks for all of your questions and comments. It has been inspiring to hear from you and to see my blog web analytics climb higher from visitors around the world! I continue to enjoy glasses-free life - I often forget that I have bionic eyeballs! I chose not to go through a second corneal tattoo and to just live with the glare I have - and continue to experience. I did notice my brain adjusted a TINY bit. Now I only notice the glare every few days... I have to really look for it. However, dark restaurants with bright light sources can create a lot of glare/halo-ing. But only indoors. Never a problem on the street (though I had bad streaking pre-ICL...so it's there, just not worse than before). My severe dry eye also exacerbates the problem. Nothing unfixable with some eye-moisturizing solution drops. In 2-3 months, I will hit the 1 year mark - and the end of free follow-up treatment period. A reminder that the "life-long guarantee" is not really the case...

Had my 3 month follow-up today - really 5 months after my actual surgery. Things are the same. Pressure was 18 today with my right eye still 20/20 (yay!) and my left eye still 20/30 (boo!). 20/20 - more or less - together. My dry eyes affect the quality of my vision as well, I find. They took a photo of my eyeballs / ICL today to measure the chamber depth and to double check the positioning - a check to make sure there's still proper spacing between the natural lens and the ICL. I have to wait a week to hear back on my results with the "actual" doctor reviews my file and measurements. They said I didn't need to make any more appointments and that I'm pretty much dismissed. But I think I will insist on the 6 month and 1 year. I paid for it, dammit! I told them my corneal tattoo pretty much didn't work (though again, I'm not really that bothered by it) and that I still have strong halos at night only around really bring and specific light sources when I...

So Monday marks my 3 month since my surgery and although my 3 month check-up is not scheduled until the 4 month mark, I thought I'd give a quick update. Vision is great. I couldn't be happier being glasses free with 20/20 vision (both eyes together). The tattoo however, didn't really work. I still see the white line glare in super bright situations as previously described before. I can't tell if it's slightly more faded or not. It really doesn't bother me that much though as it is very, very faint and appears in less than 5-10% of my day. I have to lift my lids to an unnatural state in order to see them. But I do notice them, especially in our age of smartphones: we're always looking down at our phones and glancing up to make sure we don't run into people. It is that moment of glancing up without moving your head that forces your lids above the iridotomy holes. That's where the glare comes in. I plan on asking my doctor at the 4 month point what ha...

So I can finally say I have a tattoo - even though I've never really wanted one. I fear the pain - so naturally, I got two! On my eyeballs! lol. Oh the irony that is life... Day 3 and my eyes are returning to normal. The dry, scratchy feeling after getting the tattoo is pretty much gone. Just back to my normal dry eyes. *grumbles* I have noticed a side-effect that I haven't talked about before. I did mention that I already had halos and streaks of light pre-ICL because of my crappy eyes, but I noticed it is much worse in only one specific instance. When I'm looking at a small, concentrated speck of light in the pitch black. Specifically, around alarm clocks, the light in your smoke detector... that's pretty much it. In the middle of the night, when everything else is pitch black, the halos around these objects are really bad! I can now understand why some people, who have it much worse, would be very disappointed in their ICLs. But since I can still see the time cle...

Had my corneal tattoo procedure performed today. After the Dr. checked my eyes, I lay down in what appeared to be a LASIK surgery room. They put a ton of numbing drops in my eyes, patched up one eye so they could work on the other. They taped my eyelashes down, inserted the specula (instrument that holds your eye open) and proceeded. Felt a bit of poking - didn't hurt, but was more uncomfortable than the iridotomy. Maybe even more pressure than the ICL itself. It took almost as long. I think the instrument (I swear it looked like a needle) is designed to remove or scratch the surface of your cornea so the ink will absorb into the layer just underneath. The Dr used the LASIK microscope to perform the procedure, but no lasers are involved. After performing the same procedure on both eyes, it was done and I was back in the room where he could observe the work. Apparently the iridotomy holes are completely covered - even he can't see through them anymore with the optical instrument...