Hello, sharing my experience on ICL with Dr Lynn Yeo at EEC yesterday.
I have always wanted to correct my eyesight but I had a bout of corneal ulcer in 2006 which was so bad I landed in the hospital. One of the doctors offhandedly mentioned I would not be able to do LASIK, and I thought that ICL was prohibitively expensive so I had not pursued it.
Now with one kid, I have decided to get it - she loves to grab my spectacles even though she knows she can't. She will even tell me seriously "no no" and wag her finger, then try to grab again. And you know children, the oily mark they leave on glasses is so hard to clean off!
I waited 2 months until after I stopped breastfeeding, as pregnancy and lactation produces hormones which affect eyesight. Dr Yeo said that 2 months is fine if my eyesight had not fluctuated during pregnancy, if not the recommended wait time was 3-6m.
I went for both LASIK and ICL assessments as I was still hopeful of doing LASIK since it was cheaper, but Dr Yeo said my uneven corneal surface (due to corneal ulcer scar) would make LASIK correction challenging. She highlighted that the ICL will be able to correct as well as spectacles could but minus the downsides of dry eyes and downtime.
As I was already mentally prepared that I was not suitable for LASIK, I agreed to ICL. For that, I had to travel to Royal Square branch as they need to do a cell count to verify my suitability for ICL. As one of my lenses was toric, I had to wait about a week before my surgery.
Prior to surgery, I had to start administering dilating and antibiotic drops. While surgery was fast, I felt that I had not mentally prepared myself sufficiently for the surgery. I was supposed to stare at 3 white lights above while my eye was flushed, then the cut and insertion of the lens. It was important not to move as toric lens, especially, required a particular rotation. While I felt no pain, there was so sensation of pressure, and the stress of having to stare at the white dots while the lens was inserted (which was disorienting as it made it feel like I was moving, when I was not), led to my heart rate racing and the machine was beeping annoying while I felt like I was close to hyperventilating. However, the whole procedure was over in probably 20 mins.
What was amazing was even during the procedure, once the lens was inserted, I could see the white lens sharply. After surgery when I sat up, I could read the clock on the wall, though my eyeballs felt sore. I took a short nap after the procedure, and went home about 1 hour plus later. I kept reading out road names excitedly to my husband - people with perfect eyesight will never understand what it feels like. Everything was hazy but still visible.
While my eyes were sensitive to light, I could read my phone after another 2 hours or so. In fact, I could play with my child immediately - we played bubbles in the corridor and read a children's book (large text). I went to sleep early.
This morning, I woke up and felt great! I could see everything clearly. There are halos (like lens flare) around light sources, but honestly I don't feel affected. I could use the computer, and honestly could have just returned to work today.
Going for a checkup with Dr Yeo later. Total procedure cost is estimated to be about 9.5k (1 toric and 1 non-toric lenses).
Hope this helps. To me, I love the absence of downtime.
