ICL extra lens

• Your (soft) contact lenses must be kept out at least 2 weeks before the treatment.
  Your eyes should not be made up during the treatment. Small particles of make-up can enter the operation area and cause an inflammation. We advise you not to wear makeup one day before the treatment and to clean the eyelid edges thoroughly.
  It is recommended that you do not dye your eyelashes or have fake eyelashes placed. 4 weeks after the treatment you can place extensions or dye your eyelashes again.
  Please come to the treatment well rested.
  You can eat and drink before and after the treatment.
  Do not use perfume, aftershave and/or day cream on the day of treatment.
  Wear comfortable clothing during the treatment. Avoid wool and clothing with loose fibers, because they can contaminate the operation area. The room has a constant temperature of 18 degrees, keep this in mind with your choice of clothing.
  Take your sunglasses with you. After the treatment you may be extra sensitive to light.
  Sunglasses also protect your eyes from UVA and UVB radiation. The light sensitivity can be quite intense the first few days, wear sunglasses as needed (even indoors).
  You should carefully read the informed consent (the treatment agreement). On the day of treatment you will sign this document at the desk.
  You cannot go home on your own. We advise you to arrange for an attendant to pick you up. The treatment always takes place in Rotterdam.

Here you can read step by step how the implantation of the ICL works. The treatment takes place under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis.

Step 1
Before you enter the operating room, you will receive eye drops (an anesthetic and a drop to make the pupil bigger) from the assistants or from the ophthalmologist himself.

The assistant will also ask if you would like a Valium tablet. Valium is a sedative and relaxes the muscles. This is not mandatory. Just before you enter the operating room, you will be given an overcoat, a cap and you will have to put on slippers over your shoes.

Step 2
In the operating room, you will be given another anesthetic drip.

Step 3
You will lie down on a flat chair. The skin around your eyes will be cleaned and a sterile drape will be taped over the face.

Step 4
After placing the eyelid spreader, the ophthalmologist will first make a small incision at the edge of the cornea. This is the entrance used to place the lens.

Step 5
The artificial lens is rolled up in a holder (cartridge) and inserted into the eye. This is still done through the original 2.5 to 3 mm opening. The lens slowly unfolds and molds to the capsular bag. Once the small lens is securely in place, the rounding process begins. The gel is sucked out of the anterior chamber of the eye. The procedure is complete.

Step 6
You will be taken to a special room where you can recover.

Step 7
You will be explained the drops/medications you will need to use after the procedure. Before you go home, your eyes will be checked. This is about 2 hours after the treatment. The eye pressure will be checked.

How long does the procedure take?
The actual treatment takes about half an hour, in total you will be present for about 3-4 hours. Visus eye clinic works with high quality standards. It is possible that the doctor in charge cancels the procedure on or just before the day of treatment. It will be explained to you why the treatment cannot take place.

After the treatment, you do not have to keep your eyes closed, but you may.

The first hours after the treatment your eyes will tear, you may have a burning sensation or a headache. You may also feel that you cannot keep your eyes open. You may feel that there is something in the eye. These are normal symptoms that usually disappear after about 4 hours. If necessary, you can take a light painkiller like paracetamol.

What you see the first few days is not decisive for the result of the treatment. It is important for a quick recovery of the eye after the treatment that a number of rules are followed:

The first 24 hours you should not shower (the head and hair must remain dry) or bathe. The following days in such a way that no water enters the eye.
Rubbing the eyes should be avoided for at least 6 weeks. Even after that you should be careful not to rub the eyes.
You may bend over, but try to avoid excessive lifting and pressing for the first 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks, you may use makeup again. Be careful with the use of mascara and eye shadow: these should also be removed without rubbing too hard or too much.

You should take the following into account when doing sports:

Do not do strength training for the first 2 weeks.
Do not swim in chlorinated water or seawater for the first two weeks.
Do not use a sunbed for the first 2 weeks, after that it is better to protect your eyes with special glasses.
Avoid hard blows to your eyes. So for ball sports or contact sports protect your eyes for the first two months.
For specific sports or when in doubt, consult your doctor or clinic.

Within a few weeks the intended result of the procedure is achieved, in the meantime you can usually function as normal. With tri/multifocal lenses, habituation often needs to occur, sometimes you may also need to do exercises to get your brain used to the new vision. A positive attitude and awareness that your vision will improve will help you adapt more quickly.

Letter of discharge from your general practitioner
On the day of treatment you will receive a letter of discharge for your general practitioner, together with your medication. You should give this letter to your general practitioner

After the treatment, use drops to speed up recovery. You will receive a number of medicines from us. These medicines are prescribed by the ophthalmologist and declared to your health insurer by the home pharmacy of the clinic. Any personal contribution is the responsibility of the patient. If you are insured abroad, you must pay the costs of the medication to Visus Oogkliniek. You can request a quote at the counter.

For repeat prescriptions you can request your prescription online via the website www.visusoogkliniek.nl under the heading “contact” at the top right. It is therefore important that you know the fax number of your pharmacy.

Follow the next steps:

1. Wash your hands with soap and dry them well with a clean towel or with paper.
   Sit down and take the bottle of eye drops in your writing hand.
   With the tips of your fingers from your other hand, pull the lower eyelid down to create a gutter.
   Bend your head back and look up (towards your eyebrow). If you cannot tilt your head back properly, lie down.
   Put your hand with the vial on top of the hand making the channel. Bring the bottle above your eye. When doing so, avoid touching the bottle to the eye, eyelids, and eyelashes.
   Squeeze the bottle and let one drop fall into the flume.
   Close your eye (do not squeeze). You can sit up again.
   Next, press your tear duct closed for 1 minute, by gently pressing just below the small hard bump in the inner corner of your eye (on the nose side). This ensures that as little of the eye drop as possible gets into your nose and throat.
   Wash your hands with soap and dry them with a clean towel or paper towel