It's been a little over 3 years since I had my ICLs done. As far as they're concerned, everything is holding steady. I'm still seeing 20/20, and still impressed by how clear things are outside in the daylight. The halos, unfortunately, are still holding steady, too. No change there. I've accepted them as a necessary evil with my ICL. I don't use anti-halo drops much anymore. I just use them in certain situations, like concert halls, dimly-lit restaurants, driving in unfamiliar areas in the dark. That's about it. I don't use them on a daily basis, as I really don't like how they make my eyes feel and it sort of dries out my sinuses. But they do the job when necessary.
My biggest problem at the moment continues to be the tear dysfunction problem. I don't call it 'dry eye' these days, because most of the time my eyes are anything but dry. They tear like crazy and are really red without some sort of steroid drop. I assume the tearing is due to my punctal plugs giving my tears nowhere to go. I don't know what the red is all about.
I went for a new procedure called "meibomian gland probing" (not as painful as it sounds!), that was supposed to free up the meibomian glands in the lids, but it didn't work for me. So now I plan to have my punctal plugs removed, or at least, a couple of them, to address the tearing. This will be done by a doctor at my ICL surgeon's office, so hopefully they will have some new ideas on what's causing all this. I have tears, just not good quality tears. It's frustrating, to say the least.
4 comments:
Hi Nancy! Thanks for talking about your ICL experience. I got the ICL procedure done Jan 19 of 2012, less than a month ago and I am experiencing some of the same issues you were/are. I have halos at night and I have the ghost images as well and I honestly can not stand it. Part of me is happy I did this and they other part wishes I didn't if the halo vision is what I have to put up with. I go in for my one month post op appt next thursday and I want to discuss options with the halo visions. My corneas were too thin and my right cornea is irregular so I don't know if that's the reason I am having some issues or not. I am scared that this is never going to go away and from what you mentioned, you still have halos 3 YEARS later! I hope this is not the case with me.
Sammar, thanks for your comments. I have to tell you, it's now almost 4 years later, and I still have halos in some situations. However, I have to admit that I am still happy I had it done. If tolerating halos for a small portion of my day is the price for having 20/20 vision the rest of the day, I'll take it. It's still worth it to me to be able to see the alarm clock in the middle of the night, to not have to pat the floor in the darkness looking for my glasses when I accidentally knock them off the nighstand, to not have to deal with not being able to see with the only brand of contacts I could tolerate because they only went up to -10 and I was -11.75. You have to weigh the good against the bad.
Now, while the halos have not diminished, I'll say that my annoyance of them probably has. I don't use the eye drops at all anymore and when the halos come at night I remind myself how clear the highway in the distance is in the morning and how I don't have to peel an itchy contact lens off my eye at the end of the day.
At first I was like you. I was upset and thought "I've just spent thousands of dollars to trade one eye problem for another." But when I really think about all the problems I was having before surgery, I do think I'm better off.
I tell anyone who asks that while ICL make give you 20/20 vision, it doesn't make you like someone who's always had 20/20 vision. There are tradeoffs, and for me, the halos are a tradeoff I'll accept.
Good luck.
Hello! Thanks for writing about this. Nothing like the comments of someone who actually took the ICL prodedure. I have -12 and am considering the ICL... I have no idea what this "halos" you are talking about really are about :S but it doesnt sound great.. I can imagine on the other hand that it must be great to wake up and see! Any advice before I take the operation?
Mariana, for advice, first I would say to ask lots of questions of your doctor and make sure he or she knows what they are doing. Your doctor should have tons of experience at ICL surgery. Not only to reduce the risk of side effects, but to ensure the right lenses are prescribed for implantation. Otherwise, you may still need glasses/contacts after surgery.
And second, be sure to keep your expectations at a manageable level. I went into my surgery telling myself I would be happy even if I could just wear thinner lenses. So I'm happy that after 4 years I'm still glasses/contacts free.
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