Documentation of ICL surgery

It is the second day after the surgery and I'm hermiting at home to avoid physically bumping into anyone on the street (likelihood = high in HK).

For anyone considering ICL surgery or are curious about it, here's the gorily detailed recount of what I went through. Excuse me if I sound less than smart right now or some of my sentences dn't make sense. Mental coherence is down from all the drugs and naps and meals. I've been taking naps every 4 hours or so since the surgery and then wake up for meals or to study out of a small sliver of responsibility left in me (then I'd crawl RIGHT back to bed after eating) So I've been sleeping a lot these days.

The surgery I went through is also known as Phakic IOL. IOL is introccular lens, which are typically implanted into the eye and replacing the natural crystalline lens. However, phakic means the eye's natural lens are not removed, so the lens (called: Toric Visian ICL manufactured in Switzerland) are placed right above the natural lens (sort of like an interior contact). In this case, ICL can be taken to stand for implantable contact lens. The material is collamer, a biocompatible copolymer (HEMA and benzophenone monomers), specifically purified collagen and water. It is foldable, so during the procedure, it is injected into the eye where it unfolds into position.

Why not LASIK or PRK? Because my nearsightedness is too much for those. I didn't have enough eye tissue to pave away at and reduce nearsightedness to 0. And I don't think those fix astigmatism. And they often cause dry eye symptom (I already have dry eyes). IOL is reversible if one day I need them removed.

Two weeks before the actual procedure, I underwent YAG laser iridotomy. A laser gun zapped the back of my eyeball to make holes near the edge of my iris (coloured part of the eye) to serve as outlets for fluid in the eye to circulate around the lens. Sooo painful. I think it was something like 3-5 zaps to make one hole, and 5 holes in each eye? I can't remember.

The next week I was all geared up to have the surgery, but my doctor said I should wait another week to let the occular pressure drop some more. In the meanwhile, I used a lot of eye drops. Disappointed, I went to work listlessly and impatiently that whole week! Then I watched a video of the procedure which I should not have done. There was more prodding and poking than I thought there would be. The brochure made it look so clean and quick!

On Friday, I went to work half day and headed to the doctor after lunch.

After a battery of tests, I was gowned and lay down on the operating table, fully conscious. They covered the rest of my face, dowsed my eye in what I believe to be iodine (yellow. what else?) and local anesthesia. The lights were turned off except for one, which I was told to stare at. I felt something, but nothing was painful. I saw fluids, and at one point, RED fluids, which was really scary.

How do people eat giant lollipops? I have a chupa chups in my mouth right now, it's only been like 3 minutes and my mouth is already tired from having to hold it there.

Anyway, I soon felt something really cold in the back of my eyeball. I think it should be the gel that allows the lens to slip in. Eventually, the light shifted positions, and I couldn't see it entirely. Pitch darkness. A short moment I saw it again.

Then "Surgery done. Successful." And the nurse ripped the cover off my face. Since there were adhesives there, it was painful. That's the most painful part of the surgery. The adhesives ripping off my face. I think the whole process took about 15 minutes. I opened my eyes and saw the crates of the lighting on the ceiling, with a bit of haze.

They left me there to rest for 20 minutes or so (doctor probably went to do another surgery during that time), and they came back for my other eye.

This time, it stung a lot when the iodine came showering down. I felt a bit of pain on the sides of my eyeballs this time. It was less comfortable (hah~ I'm using the word 'comfortable' to describe a surgery) but it took less time. Maybe 15 minutes at most?

Both eyes were covered, and I was led into a resting room where I was bored out of my mind for 30 minutes, and fell asleep for the next hour. I met up with the doctor again and the coverings we removed. Behold, I could see! The world was still hazy and swimming around, but everything was better than my pre-surgery eyesight already. My parents took me home by taxi.

*removes lollipop*

So I'm living a normal life now (two days after the fact) except for the fact that I can't take a shower for the next 4 days (and even then I have to wash my hair off a basin at a hair cutting place), take a normal bath (I need to wipe myself down), taking eye drops every 2 hours, and wearing eye shields to bed in case I claw at myself in my sleep, and taking more naps than a normal human being should.

*chucks half eaten lollipop in the bin*

I'm going to take another nap and listen to FF Distant Worlds II. I think this is some sort of personal record.

Merry Christmas!! Oh, it's still a bit early to say that...