It’s been six months since I had ICL surgery. And even now, not a day passes where I don’t think about it. I wake up in the morning and look out my bedroom windows with complete clarity. When I get up in the middle of the night with a sick child, I don’t fumble around in the dark for my glasses so I can see who is waking me up. And I can read clocks on walls that are not near me! Not one single day has gone by where I am not completely grateful for this surgery.
What is ICL?
I wrote a blog post before my surgery detailing what ICL is. If you’re interested, you can find it HERE to read the nitty gritty details. The short version is I have a permanent contact lens implanted in each of my eyes. My vision is bad enough and my corneas thin enough that I was not a candidate for Lasik surgery. My eye troubles were getting worse and worse to the point that I was in tears more days than not because of my difficulties in not seeing well. I reached the end of my rope and knew something had to change.
Have There Been Drawbacks to ICL?
ICL surgery is expensive- twice the price of LASIK. It was not a decision I made without great consideration and care. For me, it is worth the expense. The benefits far outweigh the negatives. The only drawback that I have had is halos around lights at night or in dimly lit rooms. It is a little harder for me to drive at night or to see clearly in low light. I was told this would be normal for someone with my astigmatism issues and that it would improve over time. It has improved greatly from the first few weeks post surgery, but is not completely gone. I imagine it will always be something that I deal with. Is it frustrating? Yes, it can be. But do I care? No, because there are too many good things that far outweigh that one negative thing.
What Are the Best Things About ICL?
It’s not just the amazing vision that I am grateful for in this whole thing. We are in the middle of spring here in Southern Utah and everything is in full bloom, with allergies running wild. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have had weeks where my eyes were red and bloodshot. I had so many days where I couldn’t get my contacts in or if I did get them in, I’d have to rip them out halfway through the day because they were covered in junk and irritating my eyes to no end. I have not had those problems this year. I’m still taking my allergy medicine this year, but my eyes are no longer red, watery, and puffy. It makes me think that most of my problems were the contacts! Crazy, right?
I’ve been in for routine checkups on my eyes since the surgery. I’m told that I am seeing better now than I was with my contacts. For the first time in at least a decade, I have 20/20 vision. As far as I am concerned, that is the only thing that matters.
I think about how lucky I am every single day. I marvel at the science and technology that make things like this possible for someone like me. And I’m so grateful for doctors who can make the impossible happen. Honestly, I’m just a girl with bad vision who made a small decision that changed her life. 🙂
*Dr. Sharon Richens in St. George, UT performed my ICL surgery. She is incredible and I would recommend her over and over to anyone who is thinking of having this done. And no, she didn’t pay me to say that- I just love her that much. Her website can be found HERE.
