...........3 weeks ago now, and I must say, it was money VERY well spent. It has made my life so much better. I actually feel like a diffent person. So, what did I have done?? Well, If you can't tell from the picture on the left, I had corrective eye surgery. But I DID NOT have Lasik. I got the Visian ICL procedure. "ICL" stands for "implantable contact lens". Yes, you read that right. I got contact lenses implanted inside my eyes. Upon telling my friends and co-workers that I was going to get this done, I was surprised at just how many people have never heard of this procedure. It was FDA approved in 1999!! That's almost 10 years ago. Actually, now that I think about it, I might not know about now either, however one of my very good friends from medical school, RB....his dad is an opthalmologist that performs this procedure, and that's how I found out about it over 2 years ago. Thanks RB.
If you've never heard of Visian ICL, then the concept of it probably sounds complicated. But in r
eality, it is actually a very simple procedure. It's takes less time than Lasik (only 15 minutes per eye), it is less invasive than Lasik and it is also less risky. And most of all, it is completely reversible, unlike Lasik. Let me explain. During Lasik, the doctor basically cuts the cornea (the clear front part of your eye) off, peels it back, and then uses a laser to BURN tissue off of your eye to reshape it. Years down the road, if your vision changes, you either need a laser to burn more tissue off of your eye, or you have to wear glasses or contacts again. With the Visian procedure, the doctor makes a very small incision (3 mm) in your cornea, inserts the rolled up contact lens, and then tucks it behind the iris (the colored part of your eye) and in front of the eye's natural lens, as seen on the right. So, the lens is hidden and no one can see it. If your vision changes in the future, you can choose to wear glasses/contacts again, or the ICL can be removed, and replaced with another ICL with your new prescription. So, you see, the choice was clear for me. Lasik was not an option. I can see prefectly and I have 20/15 vision in BOTH eyes!
eality, it is actually a very simple procedure. It's takes less time than Lasik (only 15 minutes per eye), it is less invasive than Lasik and it is also less risky. And most of all, it is completely reversible, unlike Lasik. Let me explain. During Lasik, the doctor basically cuts the cornea (the clear front part of your eye) off, peels it back, and then uses a laser to BURN tissue off of your eye to reshape it. Years down the road, if your vision changes, you either need a laser to burn more tissue off of your eye, or you have to wear glasses or contacts again. With the Visian procedure, the doctor makes a very small incision (3 mm) in your cornea, inserts the rolled up contact lens, and then tucks it behind the iris (the colored part of your eye) and in front of the eye's natural lens, as seen on the right. So, the lens is hidden and no one can see it. If your vision changes in the future, you can choose to wear glasses/contacts again, or the ICL can be removed, and replaced with another ICL with your new prescription. So, you see, the choice was clear for me. Lasik was not an option. I can see prefectly and I have 20/15 vision in BOTH eyes!Now, why did I decide to get this procedure done? Two main reasons. Yes, one is vanity! I think I look better without my glasses. There is nothing wrong with that, right? But the main reason is that I could no longer wear my regular contact lenses. I've worn contacts for over 10 years and I guess with the normal wear and tear they put on your eyes, my eyes had had enough. I was only able to wear my contacts for a few hours at a time, and never for more than 1 consecutive day. So, you can imagine how frustrating it was to have to go to auditions with my glasses on. The casting directors almost always asked me to remove them because they want to see everyone natural. Makes sense. Well, that created a problem, because without my glasses, I couldn't see my script without holding it 5 inches from my face. Not only that, when it comes to things like clothes, glasses, and other accessories, people should be able to wear them by choice, not be 100% dependent on them.
So, it goes to say that I had a great experience. I even went to the beach the very next day with my friends. If you'd like more information on this procedure, click here.
By the way, this is my 100th post!! I can't believe it took this long.
Positive quote:
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
- John Quincy Adams
There goes that word patience again. Something I STILL need to work on!
6 comments:
Hi Kris,
I had ICL about 5 weeks ago and I was wondering if you've had any problems with halos at night. I had halos before, but now they're worse--I even have them indoors. The doctor has given me a prescription to use before I drive at night. It does take the halos away, but I'm hoping that I won't have use it forever.
Otherwise, my vision is great. I'm 20/20 in the left eye and 20/25-ish in the right.
By the way, I stumbled up on your blog after setting up my own ICL blog: http://myicl.blogspot.com/
I'm sure you won't have halos forever Nancy. It depends on how much swelling you had and how quickly your eyes heal. My halos have completely vanished. I have a very low degree of nearsightedness as well, so that could have something to do with it.
Thanks Kris. I'm still hopeful that the halos will disappear over time. I have a friend who had ICL 5 months ago and she has little problems with halos, despite being more nearsighted than I am.
I agree with you about Lasik. After reading up about it, I don't think I would have considered it, even if I were a candidate for it (which I'm not).
Wow Kris! Your surgery sounds really scary. You're like the bionic man now, with a funky implant in your eye. WEIRD!
Joe had eye surgery as well, in 2005. He had PRK laser surgery as opposed to LASIK. It was over so quick, and I got to watch the surgery on a little TV screen in the hallway. He suffered with a little night blindness for a while, and if I'm correct still has trouble if it's raining at night.
I should have guessed. I think I sort of forgot you wear glasses as most the profile pictures of you I see are sans glasses.
I'm glad you've had a comfortable recovery!
you have to at least pretend you miss med school and spell opHthalmologist correctly! this guy took away your glasses man! glad it's working well for you - carolee still is loving her ICL 2 years later.
"It was FDA approved in 1999!!"
FDA approval happened in 2005, though it has been used in Europe & Canada since the mid-1990's.
"it is less invasive than Lasik and it is also less risky"
Untrue. Not trying to scare anyone away from ICL, but anytime you crack the eyeball, it's more invasive & risky.
"it is completely reversible"
True for the ICL lens. Untrue for the Peripheral Iridotomy (and any visual distortions resulting from the holes in the Iris).
"If your vision changes in the future, you can choose to wear glasses/contacts again, or the ICL can be removed, and replaced with another ICL with your new prescription."
Strictly speaking this is true, but you are forewarned that "replaced with another ICL with your new prescription" is only done under very rare circumstances. Most doctors are not going to want to crack the eyeball another time to swap ICL lenses. They're going to do everything in their power to talk you into Lasik/PRK (though not the Wavefront variety) "on top of" the ICL to fine-tune your vision.
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