If you’re tired of glasses and contacts, but don’t meet the requirements for LASIK, implantable contact lens surgery (ICL) could be the solution you've been looking for.
This cutting-edge procedure offers a permanent alternative to traditional lenses and glasses, allowing you to see clearly without hassle.
But what can you expect after the surgery?
Let’s explore recovery, potential side effects, and tips for maintaining clear vision after ICL surgery.
Immediately after ICL surgery, you’re likely to experience slight discomfort, bloodshot eyes, and blurry vision for a short time, from a few hours up to 48 hours. Expect checkups, about four weeks of healing time, the need to wear an eye shield, and regular use of special eye drops while your eye heals.
After surgery, your eye will be covered with a shield to reduce light sensitivity and prevent you from rubbing your eye or putting pressure on it in your sleep. Your doctor will tell you whether to wear the eye cover all day and night and how long to wear it.
You’ll have a checkup the day after the ICL procedure to ensure everything is healing as expected and that there are no eye pressure problems.
You'll be prescribed special eye drops to use every day for a few weeks to prevent inflammation and infection. You might also need antibiotics or a steroid for healing.
Expect discomfort and bloodshot eyes after surgery. Your vision will be blurry after ICL, but it will gradually improve as your eyes heal.
During healing, vision fluctuations are normal, and your eye may feel gritty and uncomfortable for the first few days. However, it usually passes after the first week.
Most patients report driving-standard vision after the first 24 hours, and by three or four weeks, final healing results should show, and you can enjoy sharp, glasses-free vision.
Overall, it’ll take about four weeks to recover fully and see the full results.
Although ICL has a total healing time of around four weeks, your vision will gradually improve over six months.
You'll have a couple of aftercare appointments so the ophthalmologist or optometrist can evaluate the progress and healing. Typically, after your first checkup, you'll return for another visit within ten days, then four weeks, and then three to six months later.
After completing your ICL checkups, you'll need a checkup once a year to ensure your eye remains healthy. Annual eye exams help keep your eyesight intact and help doctors catch any complications that need attention.
You won't feel the ICL in your eye after it heals because it is attached and maintenance-free, and the lens will not wear out. Once your eye has fully healed, you’ll be able to open your eyes underwater without any issues.
Because your eyes are delicate, see your doctor if you experience visual changes after ICL.
Call your doctor if you experience eye pain at any stage, eye swelling, eye stickiness, or worsening vision.
Other severe impairments to watch for include lights that look flashy or strobed and floating or black spots, which can be a symptom of retinal detachment, a serious problem.
Other eye problems can cause headaches that feel like sinus headaches, paired with nausea.
Clinical studies show excellent ICL success rates, with 98% of patients finding ICL effective, similar to LASIK.
A further survey showed that vision improvement and ICL surgery satisfaction reached 99.9%, so you're almost guaranteed better vision quality.
Like any surgery, you should follow post-procedure precautions for your safety and well-being.
Follow your doctor's instructions for your eye shield and your prescribed eye drops. Remember to wash your hands before using eye drops to prevent infection.
Take it easy for the first 24 hours after ICL, watch where you walk and don't drive until your doctor says it is okay. Keep your eye shield while showering for the first few days to prevent anything from getting into your eye.
Avoid rubbing your eyes or applying cream or eye makeup for the first two weeks, and avoid exercise and swimming for the first two weeks after surgery.
It’s also recommended to wear UV-protection sunglasses when in the sun, especially for the first week after the procedure.
ICL is highly successful, but any surgery carries risks. Find out more about the risks and safety of ICL.
The main concern early in the healing process is an eye infection, but if you follow your doctor's instructions, you shouldn't have any issues.
ICL patients can face potential long-term problems, which is why checkups matter, but you can expect a smooth ICL journey if you monitor your eye health and see your doctor yearly.
Although ICL complications are rare, it is best to know about them before surgery. These are some of the most common complications from the procedure:
Halos are rings or glare that shine around lights when you look at them, and starbursts are rays of light that emanate from a light source.
Halos and starbursts are most common at night and can be annoying—some experience them worse than others.
These light refractions are normal during the ICL healing process but sometimes remain problematic after healing.
Permanent halos and starbursts are eliminated by removing the ICL or pairing the ICL with LASIK. After healing, those with halos and starbursts usually have clear vision and live with the issue to keep the benefits of the ICL.
If your ICL was for short-sightedness and the issue remains after you've healed, your ICL might be under-corrected.
Your vision may have improved, but it still isn’t perfect.
Depending on the severity, patients may leave it if they're still satisfied with the improvement or may need an enhancement procedure.
ICL overcorrection means your vision has been changed to slightly long-sighted, which can affect your close vision. Depending on the severity, your doctor may offer you an enhancement procedure, including LASIK.
An increase in eye pressure is standard after ICL and will decrease as it heals, which is the main reason for clinic checkups.
High eye pressure prevents fluid from flowing from the back of the eye to the front, causing aching.
One reason for this is that your ICL is too big, and the doctor will need to replace it with a smaller one. There is no charge to replace your ICL in this situation.
Presbyopia is a natural process in which your eye lens loses elasticity, gradually reducing your close-up vision as you age.
This impairment usually occurs from age forty onward. Although ICL doesn't cause presbyopia, it can reveal it sooner, especially if you use glasses instead of contact lenses.
If you had ICL to improve distance vision and are middle-aged, your distance vision will remain clear, but you'll need glasses for reading and close-up work because of presbyopia. Presbyopia is normal for all middle-aged people.
Cataracts happen when proteins in your eye change, making your vision cloudy and blurring the lens.
This vision damage occurs naturally with age around 60, but studies have shown that early ICL models could cause cataracts to develop earlier. It is much rarer with modern ICLs.
Even though cataracts are a natural sign of ageing, it helps to be aware that you might experience it sooner due to ICL.
Cataracts require surgery in which your lens is replaced with an artificial one, which means the ICL will also need to be removed.
After ICL surgery, you can expect it to take four weeks for your eyes to heal properly.
During healing, your vision will gradually improve, but you may experience mild discomfort. You'll need to wear an eye shield and use eye drops as your doctor prescribes.
Expect checkups within the first six months, then once annually. If you notice any abnormalities, visit your doctor as soon as possible.
You may encounter a few problems with ICL, but they are very rare.
If you’re considering ICL surgery or aren’t sure which procedure would be best for your prescription, schedule your free telephone consultation, and a member of our team will be happy to discuss your options and explain exactly what ICL surgery is.
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