My ICL Experience: status report

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

status report

So, Daylight Savings Time has ended and with that, the need for anti-halos drops increases. I'm resisting, though, as, well, frankly I'm sick of squirting stuff in my eye. The halos are a lesser concern at the moment because for the last year I've been battling an unrelated infection/inflammation that I've just not been able to shake. It started with severe redness and increased dryness about this time last year - so red that I found myself not looking people in the eye for fear of grossing them out. I remember thinking on Christmas Day that the whites of my eyes looked like pepperoni - all red, bumpy, etc. Awful.

I had a follow up appointment scheduled with my ICL doctor, so of course while I was there the redness was discussed. At first the opthalmologist (not my surgeon) said it was a dry eye flare up (I had dry eye prior to surgery) and she prescribed a couple of things. Tried that for a few weeks with no results. Went back, was prescribed something else. Again, no results. The prescription given to me at the third visit turned out to be something I was allergic to, so I only used it twice. At that point, I decided to call my regular optometrist, as the allergic reaction needed immediate attention and getting into my surgeons office last minute is virtually impossible, and by this time I was ready for a second opinion. My optometrist prescribed something that made the whiteness go away, but every time I tried to taper it off (per my doctor's instruction), the redness came back. A few months ago, the tearing started. Copious amounts of tears. I had to keep tissues on my at all times, I was dabbing at my eyes every few seconds, having to apologize to strangers and tell people that 'no, I'm not crying'. It was a ridiculous amount of tears, and the redness was creeping back.

Fortunately, two weeks ago my optometrist gave me a new prescription that is working! Within two applications, the tearing had stopped and my eyes are white again. It remains to be seen if this will hold once I start tapering off again. But so far, so good.

Anyway, with all the stuff I've been squirting in my eyes this year, anti-halo drops are an afterthought. I still use them when absolutely necessary, but otherwise I'm just living with the halos.

9 comments:

lils said...: Hey i have a few questions if you dont mind??
im gonna have icl surgery in like two weeks, so i have this questions for after the surgery, i know i can ask the doctor bur i think it's best to hear it from someone who actually lived the process..
so here:

When can I start showering/washing my face?
When can I start using make up? and how is the best way to remove it?
What if I get something in my eye? or shampoo into my eye?
What should i do in case of emergency? call my optometrist or surgeon or go to emergency room or.. ?
Should i worry about sneezing or cough ?

thank you so much, i would really appreciate your answers, email me here : danup@hotmail.es

thank youuuuuu!!!; January 30, 2011 7:01 PM
Nancy said...: lils:
I had my eyes done two days apart (Monday and Wednesday of the same week), and after each I had a plastic shield taped over the affected eye for 24 hours. I could remove the shield temporarily to put drops in, but had to keep it in place the rest of the time til the doctor removed it the following day (I even had to sleep with them). I was given a different protective shield while I was in the shower. By Friday I was showering without the shield and was able to wear makeup.

Check to make sure that your surgeon's office has a doctor on-call for after hours issues. I was so nauseous from the Valium after my first surgery that I vomited that night. I called the on-call doctor who had me return to the doctor's office so she could check me out, but everything was ok. Coughing shouldn't be a problem, and unless you tend to sneeze violently, you should be ok.

I was pretty much sidelined for at least the first 24 hours, since one eye had a shield over it, and I had to leave my contact lens out of the untouched eye prior to surgery and my glasses wouldn't fit over the shield for the other eye. So, my ability to see (when the shield was on) was reduced to almost nothing. I could see clearly, though, through the eye that had had surgery when I removed the shield to put drops in (there are a lot!)

Nowadays, makeup removal is just like it was prior to surgery. I am extra careful around the eyes, though, and try not to use too much pressure.

Good luck with your surgery! (or surgeries?); January 30, 2011 11:12 PM
jo said...: Hi there, I came across your blog in google and was really hoping you could give me some guidance.
I also have severe dry eye syndrome, (they think its because my meibomian glands are clogged, not producing enough oil to stop tears from evaporating too quickly...my tear output is normal), but anyway this is why I want to get the ICL, because I can no longer wear contacts.

I was wondering, in regards to your dry eye, has it gotten worse, better, or stayed the same with the ICL? And was your surgeon weary on operating on you because of your dry eye, or did they not see it as a problem? My surgeon told me to try and get my dry eye "controlled" before the surgery, did yours express the same concern?

I guess I'm just concerned that it may get worse after the ICL, and somewhat hopeful that it may get better lol.

Thanks in advance!!!; May 22, 2011 11:43 PM
Nancy said...: Jo, my dry eye situation is kind of complicated, so it's hard for me to say one way or the other. I had to stop the drop I mentioned in this blog post, because it raised my eye pressure. I tried a few others, but the tearing continues to be out of control. I've made an appt with my ICL surgeon to have my punctal plugs removed. I'm a little hesitant to do that, as I credit them with stopping my eyes from getting too dry during the night. But this constant tearing is driving me nuts. Also, the redness is slowly creeping back in - I'm not sure what I'll do about that.

My problem, like yours, has been identified as a meibomian gland problem. I've tried the hot compresses, with no results. My optometrist sent me to a specialist who was doing a new "meibomian gland probing" procedure, where he sticks a probe into the glands to free them up and get them working again. It did not help the right eye, so I'm not having the left eye done.

Personally, I don't think the ICL had an impact on my dry eye one way or the other. I don't see how it could - the meibomian glands are in your eyelids, not your eye. Now, at the time of my ICL, I just had classic dry eye, and the punctal plugs helped, so my surgeon was not concerned. It's only been in the last 18 months that this freakish tearing/red eye problem has surfaced. My ICLs are fine and I'm still reading at 20/20 (confirmed last week).

So, that's probably not a lot of help to you. Sorry! Let me know if I can answer any other questions.; May 23, 2011 12:01 PM
santhosh said...: Hi,

This is santy here. I had my ICL two weeks before. Vision is perfect. I am happy with that. I have little burings sometimes. Hope it will go soon.
But my only worry is that i read in few websites and in few blogs about teh side effects of ICL(like catacract, glucoma, haals etc...) Will everyoen get this side effects? How is you expirence and opinion about it. If i remove ICl from my eyes after 6months will i be safe..... bcz i dont want to take risk.... i am very much worried about the same. Please help me.... i will be very thankful to you...
cheers,
Santy; June 1, 2011 12:45 AM
Nancy said...: Santy,
First let me say that I'm not a medical expert of any kind, so nothing I'm about to say is factual. It's just my opinion. Yes, with ICL you risk cataracts, glaucoma, halos and other side effects. That's why anyone considering ICL should make sure they choose a surgeon who knows what they are doing, has had a lot of experience with the procedure, and can recognize whether you as a patient are at higher risk than others where this procedure is concerned. It is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. That said, having ICL surgery doesn't guarantee these side effects, so no, not everyone will get them.

I can't tell you anything about removal of ICLs, as I still have mine and have no plan to remove them. But I don't think removing them just because you fear a side effect would be a good idea. You may do more harm than good. Your doctor can guide you on that. Frankly, these are concerns a patient should discuss with their doctor before surgery, rather than after surgery.

Unless you are experiencing complications already, I think you just need to relax, don't worry so much over what *might* happen and check in with your doctor if you have concerns.

Good luck!
Nancy; June 2, 2011 10:26 AM
santhosh said...: Hi Nancy,

Thanks a lot for your answers and patience. Very kind of you.

Please don’t get bored by reading my comment…. My comments may look like stupidity… but your answers for this will really help me in building my confidence level….

Yes I completely agree with all your points. Before surgery I had discussed with my surgeon and had collected all info. And you known how our mentality will be before surgery, it’s always “let’s just give a try…”. Because I was very frustrated with glasses and Contact Lenses, I was looking for an alternate way which will keep me happy. I heard ICL will do that.

I started having fear factors when I started reading the blogs and experience of the post surgery patients of ICL. Many have these dryness, halos and glare(and also Cataract). These fear factors are blocking my happiness of enjoying my ICL(New eyes).

Doctors said that I should completely avoid rubbing my eyes because it may lead to Cataract. How will I make ensure that I won’t rub my eyes unknowingly in my sleep(also in day). Because it’s not just a matter of one week or one month, it’s for life time.
Before surgery I was feeling it’s not a big deal if I don’t rub my eyes…. But implementing it for lifetime is the big challenge which I have in front of me. Now I realize that “saying is different from doing….”.

My only request to you is, can you just brief me how is your experience going on with ICL and how did you avoid rubbing your eyes? What’s your future plan about ICL?

Regards,
Santy; June 6, 2011 3:18 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi - so how is your vision now. I had my surgery in Oct 2011. but got lots of floaters and two PVDs. Have to see the retina specialist in 6 weeks time; February 22, 2012 11:23 AM
Nancy said...: To Anonymous:
My vision continues to hold steady. I have no more floaters now than I did before surgery, and my vision is still 20/20. The halos do persist at night, but they're more a nuisance than they are a disability. I still don't use the anti-halo drops now, as I get by fine without them.

Good luck with your retina followup. I do worry a bit about mine, but only because I know I'm at higher risk due to the myopia.; February 27, 2012 10:08 PM

Welcome!

The purpose of this blog is to share my experience with Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) surgery. When I first began to seriously consider having this surgery, I researched it online like I do everything else, but there wasn't much to be found in the way of testimonials from actual patients. It's a scary process--it's your only two eyes for pete's sake!--so I thought I would put my own experience out there for others who may be considering it.

This blog documents my own experience and does not guarantee any outcome for anyone else. I offer it only as part of many things you should consider before having ICL.

Your first priority is finding a doctor who knows what he/she's doing. This isn't something you want a discount on. My doctor has performed 25,000 vision procedures, 3,000 of which were on other doctors.

Scroll down to the Introduction to read the actual steps of the procedures.

~Nancy

Introduction

Hi! If you're at the point now where you're actually researching ICL surgery, then you and I probably have a lot in common. Let me guess: you've been nearsighted since childhood, can't see a thing without glasses or contacts, and you may be having problems finding contacts you can see clearly with.

I started wearing glasses in the 1st grade (the most fashionable blah-brown octagonal frames that 1975 had to offer), switched to hard contact lenses when I was in my early teens, and eventually switched to soft lenses when I could no longer tolerate the hard ones. The last few years I managed to get by with -10 lenses, even though I was really a -12. ICL had been suggested to me by my optometrist a couple of years ago, since I was too nearsighted for Lasik. I thought about it, but it's so expensive and seemed like such a drastic measure for someone who'd never had surgery before. I knew of a couple of local doctors who perform ICL, and finally went to a seminar offered by one of them. At the seminar, I got a good enough impression from the doctor that I decided to go for a consultation to see if I was even a candidate. No need in saving up thousands of dollars if I wasn't.

After learning that I was an 'ideal' candidate (degree of nearsightedness + age + eye health), I decided to go ahead with the procedure. It's a 3-step process: a YAG laser iridotomy and actual lens implantation done two days apart.

Step 1: The YAG Iridotomy

Boy, what fun! Or not. This procedure occurred about a month before my ICL surgery. I had to go a week without my contacts before the procedure. The YAG creates 2 tiny holes in the iris of your eye to allow fluid to pass between the natural lens and the artificial lens. Without it, you risk glaucoma from the increased pressure. It's done with a laser. It was actually the part that gave me the most discomfort throughout this whole experience. The laser zapped my eye 8 times in each eye (4 zaps per hole)--kinda felt like getting popped in the eye with a rubberband. Not the worst pain you'll ever feel, but it's not pain-free either.

I had to hang around for another hour or so, so they could check my eye pressure. The YAG procedure can cause the eye pressure to raise, so they want to make sure it's back within range before you leave. It was a little high at the first check, but was fine about 20 minutes later and I was cleared to go.

They told me I'd need to rest my eyes for the rest of the day. No problem there! My eyes felt like they had sand in them afterwards and I didn't want to open them. Now, I do have a severe dry eye problem, and that surely contributed to my post-YAG discomfort. I kept my artificial tears (Refresh LiquiGel) handy at all times and used it liberally that night. My eyes were really sensitive to light changes for a couple of days--the expanding and contracting of the pupil pushed on those new holes.

I had been told that I could wear my contacts the next day, but my eyes didn't feel like they would appreciate that much. Besides, with all the drops I had to put in afterwards, having to keep taking my lenses out would've just been a hassle, so I just wore my glasses til I was down to just needing the drops twice a day. There was one drop that I could taste after about 20 minutes each time. It was the milky-white steroid drop. Yuck! I tried to be sure I was drinking something right after to quell the taste.

It's been 6 weeks and I still have visible holes in my irises. They're tiny, though, and they're in the upper part of the iris, so my eyelids cover them even when my eyes are open. Most people have trouble finding them even when I point them out. My eyes are light blue-green, so that makes the holes more visible.

Step 2: ICL in the first eye

ICL has to be performed at a surgical center, and so we arrive there at the crack of dawn to register beforehand, on an empty stomach like most surgeries. Surgery is at 7am. I've never had surgery before, so I was surprised that I was not more nervous. Finally, it's time. I go back to the surgery prep room and get the usual pre-op type stuff. Turns out that you can have enough water that morning to take any meds you're on. Insert of an IV. Lots of drops in the eye before surgery. They dialate the eye for the surgery, so I'm sure I looked really weird with one big pupil and one little one.

I was awake for the whole procedure, but was given Valium beforehand, as they don't want you jumping when the doctor pokes you in the eye. Go figure. ;) I think the whole procedure lasted about 15 minutes. They spread your eyelid out really wide so the doctor can work. I didn't 'see' much, though--just lots of swirly colors and shadowy shapes. So anyone who gets the heebie-jeebies when things come near your eye shouldn't have any trouble. The eye is really dialated--not just like when you go for the annual eyecheckup. I felt pressure, but no pain. Not bad, really.

I couldn't tell right away that my vision had changed any--the dialation was still there and the doctor immediately taped a protective shield over my eye. It was one of those plastic shields with the holes in it--I could sort of see around the edges, though I didn't want to further stress my eye by straining it.

Afterwards I was a little woozy between the Valium and no food. And I was essentially blind--one eye had the protective shield, and the other eye was without its contact lens, since it was getting surgery two days later. So I was being led about.

Went home, ate breakfast, wondered how I was going to keep up with the numerous drops I had been given. My dad and I went over the list of things they don't want you doing right after surgery: bending over, lifting heavy objects, etc. The usual.

There were 5 drops, I think, all with different schedules. One went in 6 times a day the first week and then 4 times a day the second week, and so on. There was a pill to take, too. And then there was a over-the-counter artificial tears drop, too. Plus the Restasis drop that I was already taking for my dry eye. My dad set it all up in an Excel spreadsheet so I could write down the times I used the drops. I'd have been lost without that spreadsheet! As my mom helped me with the first round of drops, I was laying on the couch and when the shield was pulled away, I realized I could see the texture on the ceiling perfectly clearly (I have stucco walls, which I hate, but that's another blog).

Anyway, around noon I discovered something new: Valium and I don't get along. AT ALL. It was like an instant hangover, without the fun the night before. Pounding headache, and nausea. I ate crackers all afternoon, fighting it as best I could. But around 6:30pm, a huge wave of nausea hit me, and I had to...well, let's just say that I made an offering to the porcelain gods. Not good on the same day as eye surgery, but boy did I feel better. I called the doctor on call and she had me meet her at the vision center office right then. So, we head to town for a check. Everything was fine, she said. Gave me a prescription for the nausea.

The next morning I had to go into the vision center office for a check of the eye. Everything was fine and they removed the shield. I still had to use a shield when sleeping or showering for the next few days.

Step 3: ICL in the second eye

Same chorus, different verse. ;) I asked the doctor if I could have something besides Valium this time, and he decided to halve the dosage, rather than switching, and had me take an anti-nausea pill with it. This meant I was a little more aware (tense) during the second surgery. I actually said "ow" a couple of times, but it wasn't bad. Imagine an "ow" without the exclamation point at the end.

I was still a little nauseous that afternoon from the Valium, but it was nothing like the previous post-surgical experience. Now there's twice as many drops, now that the second eye needs them. What a hassle! But, now that both eyes have had the surgery, drop-insertion time meant I got a peek at clear vision in both eyes (since the second eye still had its protective shield over it).

Again, went to the vision center the next morning for a check. With this surgery, I had a lovely bloody spot where the hole was made to insert the lens. Dr. must've nicked a blood vessel. No big deal, but looked icky. Grossed myself out every time I looked at it.

With both eyes now having had ICL at this point, they did a visual acuity test to see how I was seeing. I was 20/25 in each eye, and 20/20 together. Pretty cool!

Appointments were made for my regular optometrist in one month, and back to the vision center in three months. Otherwise, I was to continue the drops til their schedules were met.