Myopia has always meant relying on glasses or contacts, but now I’m seeing two main surgical options being mentioned, laser correction and implantable lenses, and they seem quite different from each other. How do these two procedures actually differ in how they correct vision?
I had to choose between laser and ICL because my prescription was a minus nine. Laser treatment shaves off part of your cornea, whereas ICL involves placing a tiny lens directly inside your eye. Because my myopia was so high, the doctor advised that laser surgery would remove too much tissue. I went with the ICL instead, and the final results have provided me with remarkably clear and comfortable vision.
My diagnosis showed high myopia and dry eyes. LASIK was discussed first. But doctor said implantable lens is better for dry eyes. I went with ICL. The procedure felt different because nothing is removed from the cornea. Vision became clear within a day.
I had -6 myopia and started comparing LASIK and lens implants. Laser surgery reshapes the cornea. Lens implants go inside the eye. My cornea was thin so LASIK was not ideal. I chose ICL. Surgery was quick. Vision improved immediately. Recovery took about 2 weeks.
A simple way to understand it is: laser surgery reshapes the cornea, while implantable lens surgery adds a new lens inside the eye. One changes existing structure, the other adds a corrective optical element.
I went with SMILE laser surgery because I was a minus four with healthy corneas. Laser surgery uses a beam to reshape the surface of the eye permanently. I liked that it only took about ten minutes for both eyes. The recovery was super fast and I was back at work the next day. My vision is perfect now and I do not have to worry about a lens inside my eye. It was much more affordable than the implantable options.