ICL Surgery
My best friend almost got ICL, then something happened at the clinic that completely changed his mind…..
My best friend (male 31) had been wearing glasses for years and recently decided that he wanted to get rid of them permanently. We started looking into LASIK, and eventually went to a very well-known eye clinic in Delhi, one of those clinics that has a huge online presence, tons of YouTube videos, and doctors who regularly appear on major Indian podcasts.
Initially, everything seemed very professional.
The doctor examined him and told him that he wasn’t a suitable candidate for LASIK mainly because of his corneal thickness. Instead they recommended ICL
After watching all the videos and podcasts about ICL and hearing how life-changing it can be, my friend became convinced that ICL was the right option for him. The cost was around 2 lakh rupees.
They told him to come back the next day for detailed measurements.
There was one other thing that happened during the first visit. During the retinal examination, the retina specialist found a small retinal hole in his left eye and it’s not a serious thing. They told him that it wasn’t a major procedure and that it could be treated with a laser procedure (barrage laser) before proceeding with the ICL. The cost was only around 5–6k.
So the plan was basically:
Come back the next day.
Complete the ICL measurements.
Get the retinal laser done.
Pay 50% of the ICL cost.
Schedule the ICL surgery.
The next day, we went back together.
He completed all the measurements and everything seemed to be going smoothly. We were then sent to the accounts department, where they told him to pay 50% of the ICL amount and then go to the retina department for the laser procedure.
But my friend said, “Let me get the retinal procedure done first. I’ll make the payment afterward.”
The accounts person agreed.
So we went to the retina department.
And this is where things got VERY interesting.
There was a patient (young guy in late 20s) sitting outside the retina doctor’s room. He was wearing dark glasses. We initially thought he too had ICL.
The door was open, and we could hear the conversation between him and the doctor from outside.
The patient was telling the doctor that he had undergone ICL in 2017.
He then explained that he had subsequently developed a cataract and eventually underwent cataract surgery in the same clinic last year.
Even after the cataract surgery, he was still having some visual problems. He also mentioned that he had been playing sports such as volleyball/basketball and had subsequently suffered an eye injury from a basketball, which had caused further problems.
I obviously don’t know his complete medical history, what type of ICL he had, why he developed cataract, or whether the sports injury had anything to do with his previous ICL. So I’m not claiming that ICL caused all of his problems.
But seeing someone who had undergone the procedure years earlier, then developed cataract requiring another surgery, and was still dealing with eye issues genuinely scared my friend.
He looked at me and basically said:
“Maybe this guy was sent here to save me.”
He immediately decided that he didn’t want to proceed.
He collected his reports and left the clinic with me.
He was still under the effects of the dilating drops at that point, but he didn’t care. He had completely changed his mind about elective eye surgery.
What do you guys think?
I’m not saying ICL is bad or that everyone who gets ICL will develop cataracts. I know many people have excellent outcomes with ICL.
But this experience made my friend realize that this isn’t simply:
“Get ICL → throw away your glasses → problem solved forever.”
It’s an intraocular procedure, and there are potential complications that need to be considered over a person’s entire lifetime including cataract, increased eye pressure, inflammation, lens-related complications, retinal issues, and the possibility of needing another procedure later.
My friend is now thinking:
“I don’t hate my glasses enough to take an intraocular surgical risk just for convenience.”
He’s perfectly happy to continue wearing glasses or contact lenses.
So I’m curious about people here who have had ICL 5, 10, 15+ years ago:
How has your vision been?
Have you developed cataracts?
Have you needed the ICL repositioned, removed, or replaced?
Any problems with eye pressure?
Would you still choose ICL today?
And if you had the choice between ICL and simply continuing with glasses, what would you choose?
Especially interested in long-term experiences rather than people who had ICL only 6–12 months ago.